Updated October 22, 2026: Sprouts is open. The September opening-weekend promotions have ended; the construction photos below are from August 3.
Sprouts Farmers Market opened September 18 at 5131 S. Ellsworth Road, on the northeast corner of Ellsworth and Ray roads in Mesa. Its official Mesa-Ellsworth page lists daily hours of 7 a.m.–10 p.m. as checked October 22.
For a look inside the operating store, see our September 18 opening-day photo report. The background below explains EastMarket and the businesses planned around the grocery anchor.
Photos taken August 3 show a project that looks much closer to opening day than groundbreaking day. The brick-and-charcoal exterior is largely finished, the Sprouts signs are up, light poles and curbs are in place, and crews are working on landscaping and other site details. The photos do not show the condition of the store’s interior, but they do make one thing clear: this is no longer a distant proposal.
The quick facts
Opening date: Friday, September 18, 2026
Address: 5131 S. Ellsworth Road, Mesa, AZ 85212
Location: Northeast corner of Ellsworth and Ray roads
Sprouts store size: Approximately 23,300 square feet
Development: EastMarket at Eastmark
Site: Approximately 6.6 acres
Current hours: Daily, 7 a.m.–10 p.m.; check the store page for holiday changes.
The September opening weekend has ended
The September 18–20 grand-opening celebration is now part of the store’s history. Its opening-weekend giveaways and Rewards promotion have expired. Use the official store page and current weekly ad for offers available during your visit.
EastMarket is bigger than one grocery store
Sprouts is the anchor, but it is only part of the EastMarket plan.
The center sits on roughly 6.6 acres at one of Eastmark’s most visible intersections. Common Bond Development Group, the project’s developer, currently describes EastMarket as a roughly 50,500-square-foot grocery-anchored shopping center. The company’s 2025 groundbreaking announcement used a smaller figure—nearly 45,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space—while Mesa’s approved development materials described 55,630 square feet of commercial space, including a bank pad.
Those numbers are not necessarily contradictory. They appear to count different portions or versions of an evolving site plan. The consistent figure across the project materials is the Sprouts itself: roughly 23,200 to 23,300 square feet.
Mesa’s plan also called for 278 parking spaces, compared with 202 required by code. At the same time, the developer has promoted a pedestrian-friendly layout intended to connect the grocery store with neighboring shops and restaurants. The current development team listed by Common Bond includes general contractor A.R. Mays, architect PHNX Design, design architect Suite 6 Architecture + Planning, civil engineer Rick Engineering and landscape architect GK Flanagan Associates.
What else is coming to EastMarket?
Early announcements referred only to a “curated mix” of neighborhood businesses. The current EastMarket property page is more revealing: its partner lineup displays the brands First Watch, QDOBA, GoodVets, Petersen’s Old-Fashioned Ice Cream, Zara Nail Bar and Lapels Cleaners, in addition to Sprouts.
That combination would give EastMarket a broader daily-use mix: breakfast and brunch, fast-casual Mexican food, veterinary care, dessert, personal care and dry cleaning alongside the grocery anchor.
There is an important caveat. The developer does not list individual opening dates or suite numbers for those businesses, and Sprouts’ September 18 date should not be treated as a center-wide grand opening. Tenant lineups and schedules can also change before doors open. For now, the safest description is that these are the brands identified on the developer’s current EastMarket page.
Why the store matters to Eastmark
The opening brought Eastmark its first Sprouts, adding to the chain’s existing southeast Mesa and Queen Creek locations. Existing stores include locations on Signal Butte Road, Recker Road, Baseline Road and Brown Road; another operates farther south on Ellsworth Loop Road in Queen Creek.
The difference for Eastmark residents is convenience. A full specialty grocery store at Ray and Ellsworth turns a regional errand into a neighborhood trip for many households. It also gives the long-planned commercial corner an anchor capable of drawing regular traffic to the smaller businesses around it.
City leaders treated that broader role as a central reason to support the project. During an August 2025 study session, Mesa staff called the site a prime commercial location serving Eastmark and the surrounding region. The City Council later approved the development agreement through Resolution No. 12403. The agreement did not include a tax incentive; city staff said its purpose was to establish land-use restrictions and quality standards for the property.
The center is the first phase of a much larger EastMarket area. In other words, Sprouts and its neighboring shops are not the final build-out of the northeast corner—they are the opening move in a broader commercial district that has been discussed for years.
From site plan to September opening
The recent timeline moved quickly once the first phase reached approval:
May 28, 2025: Mesa’s Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of the 6.6-acre EastMarket Phase 1 site plan, subject to conditions.
August 18, 2025: The Mesa City Council unanimously approved a development agreement with CBDG Mesa, LLC.
October 2025: Common Bond announced the official groundbreaking, targeting construction completion in August 2026 and a Sprouts opening in the fourth quarter.
August 3, 2026: New photos showed the main exterior, signs, parking areas and much of the landscaping in place, with site work continuing.
September 18, 2026: Sprouts opened; see our linked opening-day photo coverage.
The Eastmark groundbreaking announcement described the store as a long-awaited specialty grocer and positioned the center as the first phase of more commercial development. The specific September date now posted by Sprouts puts the opening ahead of the earlier fourth-quarter target.
A separate road project is reshaping the same corridor
Shoppers should also keep an eye on road construction near the site. The City of Mesa is separately extending Ray Road east from Ellsworth to Hawes Road. The project includes three lanes in each direction, raised medians, sidewalks, storm drainage, streetlights and traffic-signal improvements at Ellsworth and Skyline.
Mesa’s project page still lists fall 2026 for the separate road connection, without a firm opening day as of October 22. Our Ray Road at Ellsworth update explains the posted schedule and remaining city-listed work. Follow current on-site traffic controls when visiting the center.
For another look at major construction changing southeast Mesa, see our report on what’s being built at Crismon and Williams Field.
What shoppers can expect inside
Sprouts’ opening announcement highlights fresh produce, bulk foods and its Rewards program. For current hours, services and weekly offers, check the Mesa-Ellsworth store page before visiting.
Hiring and what comes next
The August 5–6 hiring event has passed. Applicants can check Sprouts’ careers site for current opportunities.
Sprouts is operating, but its opening does not establish the status of every neighboring EastMarket storefront. Check each business for its own opening announcement.
