Located seventy-eight miles northeast of Las Vegas on U.S. Interstate 15 at the Nevada/Arizona borders, the newly established City of Mesquite was being critically impacted by rapid new development and unmanageable growth. RAFI was commissioned by the city to assist with the preparation of a master plan that would also serve as a strategic plan to manage and control future growth.
The scope of work for the project involved research, planning, master planning, programming and priority development for capital improvement construction to accommodate growth for the community for twenty years; and for government services to accommodate populations of 5,000, 12,500 and 25,000.
Research included studies of existing planning and zoning documentation, surveys of major buildings and infrastructure systems, topographic and geologic conditions, demographics, transportation systems, conducting personal interviews, perimeter and peripheral influences, historic and cultural foundations and facilitating community workshops for citizen education.
Planning tasks performed as part of the work included development of criteria for environmental analysis and programming, developing criteria for establishing community development zones, and establishing site development and landscape criteria for all future development.
Infrastructure programs were created for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, drainage and flood protection, domestic and fire water protection systems, the sanitary sewer system, power and natural gas system, communications systems, electrical utilities, fire department service, public transportation and streets and highways.