Mesa, AZ Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

Mesa City Code, Title 11, Chapter 56, § 11-56-1 states the Form-Based Code (FBC) implements the community's vision for a vibrant, walkable, mixed-use urban environment in downtown Mesa and surrounding areas, aiming to preserve community character, encourage appropriately-scaled infill, reinforce walkable neighborhoods, support diverse housing along the Transect, foster small local businesses, and establish well-designed, pedestrian- and cyclist-safe streets. 1), with a property owner needing to complete an opt-in process, signing a notarized "Form-Based Code Opt-In" form prepared by the Zoning Administrator and approved by the City Attorney's Office, before the transect standards take effect for that parcel.

Once a parcel opts in, the requirements of the previous non-transect zoning district no longer apply, and future development must conform to FBC standards; a parcel may never be developed under a mixed set of transect and non-transect standards simultaneously. Section 11-56-4 sets processing rules, including that a Zoning Clearance from the Development Services Department (with a fee under the adopted Planning Division fee schedule) is required before a building permit application, and allows administrative modifications, capped at no more than a 10% increase to the maximum build-to line, a 10% reduction of a required side/rear setback abutting public right-of-way, or a 10% reduction to required façade coverage, approved by the Planning Director.