Dec. 28—At the last Planning and Zoning Board meeting of the year the mood was light as board members and some city staff donned "ugly Christmas sweaters" to celebrate the season.

"I will apologize to the public in advance for the sweaters that you see up here," board chair Jeffrey Crockett said, sporting a sweater featuring Santa Claus riding a Tyrannosaurus Rex. "This is an annual tradition that somehow unfortunately was started years ago that continues on."

Members then got down to business, including votes on commercial, industrial and residential projects on the consent agenda and one residential subdivision discussed in open hearing.

One of the items approved on the consent agenda was a rezoning request for a single-family residence.

The case marked a rare time when "single family residence" zoning really means "single" — as in just one house.

A local mattress entrepreneur is planning a sprawling dream home on almost 5 acres in the Citrus Sub-Area of north Mesa near Val Vista and Brown Roads.

The property is owned by the Merwin Family Trust, which includes John Merwin, CEO of Phoenix-based Brooklyn Bedding.

Starting from humble beginnings as a mattress liquidator, his company made early, successful forays into online commerce and manufacturing its own mattresses for direct-to-consumer sales.

In early 2021, the company broke ground on a 600,000-square-foot mattress factory and headquarters in Phoenix, and later that year the company was purchased by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management.

Initial plans submitted to the city as part of rezoning request envision an estate within a historic orchard that could sit proudly among the most exclusive neighborhoods in Paradise Valley.

The Mesa General Plan intends the Citrus Sub-Area to feature low density "estate-style" homes. The city encourages property owners in the district to maintain a rural feel in part by keeping existing orange trees or planting new ones along property edges whenever possible.

This district is home to some of the city's grandest, lowest-density neighborhoods, but the proposed Merwin estate may stand out even in this neighborhood.

It will combine two 2-plus acre lots. An existing mansion on one lot will be demolished to make way for all the outdoor amenities the architect plans for the vast grounds.

The proposed outdoors features would set the residence apart from other large homes in the area. The plan includes a lazy river winding among an island, a sand beach, a grotto, a swim-up bar, a putting green and golf hole.

The conceptual drawing includes a vineyard, courtyards, a bocce court and yoga area.

The house itself isn't too shabby either, boasting a sports wing that includes a full basketball court, indoor golf simulator, putting area, bar and theater.

A staff presentation said the house complied with the General Plan for the neighborhood and noted that the project would leave four rows of orange trees on the Val Vista side of the property and a row of trees along the rest of the perimeter.

The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval to rezone and combine the two agricultural lots into single-family residential zoning.

Meanwhile, during a hearing on a proposal to subdivide about 11 acres owned by Central Christian Church at Lindsay and Brown Roads into 28 lots for single family homes, one of Mesa's prominent land use attorneys addressed the board.

But Reese Anderson, an attorney with Pew and Lake, spoke to the board this time as a neighbor and not a project representative.

The proposed Estates at Encanto happen to sit adjacent to Anderson's home, and he was there to say, "yes" in my back yard.

"I thought it would be fair ... just to stand as a neighbor and citizen of Mesa to voice my support for this," Anderson said.

"Good projects deserve support, and I thought for someone in my position who usually is standing here advocating for projects with neighbors opposing, that it would be right for me to turn around and say where I see good projects, I should support those," he continued.

Pew and Lake have represented some controversial rezoning cases recently, including the rezoning of the Power Road Food Park for townhomes, which neighbors in the large-lot subdivision adjacent opposed.

Anderson also represented the 359-unit Ascend at Longbow apartment complex and mixed use development, which was approved by city council in April over fierce opposition from the Ridgeview neighborhood.

Anderson's support at the hearing appeared designed to show that even when a project directly affects his house, he can get behind it — at least when the proposed density is similar to the bordering neighborhood, as is the case with Estates at Encanto.

The average lot size of Encanto will be almost a quarter-acre.

Many of Mesa's recent rezoning cases that have caused neighborhood outcry have involved proposals for projects with significantly higher density than the surrounding areas.

Another neighbor of Encanto supported developing the land, but worried that there was only one entrance that exist for the 28-home subdivision, among other issues raised.

The subdivision plat passed 5-0.