From the air, the construction site behind Safeway can look like a puzzle of graded earth, concrete pads and fresh utility work. But Mesa’s plans reveal something much more ambitious: a court-centered recreation park designed to serve nearly every age and activity level.
The project is officially called The Courts at Eastmark. It is also identified in city bidding documents as Eastmark Great Park Phase V—the final planned phase of the Eastmark city park system. The site is listed by Mesa at 10531 E. Rubidium in southeast Mesa, immediately behind the Eastmark shopping area that includes Safeway.
What is being built?
Mesa’s current project page calls for two tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, four basketball courts and four volleyball courts. A November 2025 presentation to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board breaks the volleyball total down further as two concrete courts and two sand courts.
The plan reaches well beyond traditional ball courts. It also includes separate playground areas for children ages 2–5 and 5–12, a “ninja” or warrior-style exercise course, outdoor exercise equipment, an RC car track, ramadas, restrooms, pathways and a mix of active and passive recreation space.
That combination should make the park useful for far more than organized play. A family could move between the playground, shaded gathering areas and walking paths while older children and adults use the courts, fitness features or RC track.
How this fits into Eastmark’s Great Park
Eastmark was planned around connected neighborhoods, schools, businesses and a large public park network. Earlier phases of the Great Park created the lake, splash pad, playgrounds, fields, paths and event lawns that many residents already know. Phase V extends that idea eastward with a much stronger emphasis on court sports and fitness.
The City of Mesa lists Brookfield Development as the funding source. A city advisory-board update estimated construction at about $10.75 million. The city’s bid advertisement describes Phase V as the final phase of the Eastmark City Park system to be built on previously rough-graded land.
When will The Courts at Eastmark open?
City materials offer two closely related schedule markers. Mesa’s live project page gives a broad construction window of fall 2025 through winter 2026. A November
2025 advisory-board presentation showed construction starting in October 2025 with completion targeted for summer 2026.
Those dates are best treated as targets, since large park projects can shift with construction conditions, inspections and final commissioning. The safest takeaway for residents is that the project is actively under construction and is expected to reach completion during 2026.
A new recreation anchor behind the grocery store
The location is one of the project’s most interesting features. Instead of sitting at the edge of the community, the new park is taking shape beside an everyday commercial stop. That could make it easy to pair errands with practice, a playground visit or an evening game.
It also arrives as the Ellsworth and Ray area continues to grow. East Valley Explorer recently covered the new Sprouts opening at EastMarket, another sign that Eastmark’s civic and commercial pieces are filling in together.
Want a closer look at the work from above? Watch East Valley Explorer’s drone video of The Courts at Eastmark construction site on YouTube.
Project details and schedules are based on City of Mesa project materials and a November 2025 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board presentation. Plans and completion dates may change as construction progresses.
