Sprouts Farmers Market is set to open at 5131 South Ellsworth Road in Mesa on September 18, 2026. The store anchors Eastmarket at Eastmark, a new retail center on the northeast corner of Ellsworth and Ray Road. Before Sprouts can hold in-store beer and wine tastings, the Mesa City Council must hold a public hearing on August 31, 2026.
Your commute, your grocery run, and a construction zone between you and both
If you live in Eastmark or anywhere in the 85212 zip code, this store is the specialty natural-grocery option your neighborhood has been missing. You have had one full-service grocery anchor nearby — the Safeway at Signal Butte Road — but no natural or organic grocer within easy reach.
That changes September 18. The catch is the drive. Ellsworth Road between Ray Road and Germann Road is being widened to six lanes right now. The project is contracted to Sundt Construction and is not expected to wrap up until 2027. Expect narrowed lanes and active construction at the exact intersection where you will be turning in. Plan extra time, especially on opening weekend.
On the upside, SR-24 and Loop 202 both feed directly into this corridor, so if you are coming from outside Eastmark, the regional access is solid. The road work is a short-term inconvenience on a route that will be significantly better once the widening is done.
What is Eastmarket at Eastmark?
Eastmarket is a new retail center developed by Common Bond Development Group. It sits on the northeast corner of East Ray Road and South Ellsworth Road in Mesa. Phase I covers 6.6 acres and includes about 55,630 square feet of retail space, plus 278 parking spots.
Common Bond broke ground in October 2025. Retail completion was targeted for August 2026, with Sprouts to follow in Q4. The confirmed opening date is now September 18, 2026.
Beyond the Sprouts anchor, Phase I includes four other commercial and retail tenants ranging from about 4,700 to 7,200 square feet each, along with a bank pad with a drive-up ATM.
Eastmarket Phase I is part of a larger 32-acre commercial plan for this corner of Eastmark. The master-planned community itself spans 3,200 acres in southeast Mesa and is developed by DMB Mesa Proving Grounds, LLC — a joint venture of DMB Associates and Brookfield Residential. Common Bond is the developer for Phase I only, not the master community. Mesa Vice Mayor Scott Somers called the groundbreaking “a major step forward for Mesa’s Quality Retail Initiative.”
If you are curious about other retail and development activity shaping this part of the East Valley, our coverage of the Signal Butte Road annexation at Destination Gateway and Legacy Park Mesa fills in the broader picture.
Sprouts Store #55: address, size, and grand opening details
Sprouts grand opening events typically include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, branded tote giveaways, and staff on the floor to welcome shoppers. The Mesa-Ellsworth location targets a 6:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting and 7 a.m. doors open on September 18, 2026. (Sprouts Farmers Market)
The Sprouts at 5131 South Ellsworth Road is Store #55 in the Sprouts system. The store measures 23,299 square feet — smaller than a traditional full-service supermarket but sized right for Sprouts’ natural and specialty format.
Grand opening plans call for a ribbon-cutting at 6:45 a.m. on September 18, with doors opening to shoppers at 7 a.m. The first 200 shoppers get a free tote bag. The first 400 get a free rose. Promo code MESAGO20 gets you 20% off, up to $20 per account, in-store and on shop.sprouts.com at this location only. The discount runs September 18 through 20 and excludes alcohol, gift cards, postage, and tax.
Sprouts is also opening a location in Goodyear later this year. See our story on Sprouts coming to Estrella in Goodyear for that update.
The liquor license step most coverage missed: Mesa City Council hearing August 31
The Mesa City Council takes up the Sprouts liquor license application on August 31, 2026. The applicant entity is SF Market LLC, and the license agent is Amy Suzanne Nations. There is no existing liquor license at this location.
The application is filed in Mesa Council District 6. Three documents are on file with the city: a background memo, a location map, and a staff report, all available through the Mesa Legistar portal.
The council holds a public hearing and votes on whether to recommend approval or denial. That vote then goes to the Arizona State Liquor Board, which runs its own review before issuing the final license. Both steps must happen. The council vote is not the finish line — it is a required gateway.
What is an Arizona Series 10S license — and why does it matter for shoppers?
Sprouts is applying for a Series 10S: Beer and Wine Store with Sampling Privileges. The base Series 10 license lets a store sell beer and wine in sealed packages for customers to take home. That is the standard off-sale license you would expect at any grocery store selling wine.
The “S” addition is different. It allows the store to hold permanent in-store tasting events using its own inventory — think weekend wine samples or a local brewery feature. Arizona law requires the store premises to be at least 5,000 square feet to qualify. At 23,299 square feet, the Eastmark Sprouts clears that bar easily.
The sampling privilege is non-transferable and cannot be added later without going back through the approval process. That is why the council hearing happens before opening day, not after.
Satellite context for Sprouts Store #55 at 5131 S Ellsworth Rd, Mesa, AZ 85212 — located at the northeast corner of Ellsworth and Ray Road in southeast Mesa. (Esri World Imagery)
The August 31 hearing and what follows it
Here is the timeline as it stands. The Mesa City Council hears the application on August 31, 2026. If the council recommends approval, the file goes to the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control for its own investigation and final issuance.
Sprouts is targeting a September 18 opening. That means the store could open before the state license finalizes. In that case, Sprouts could sell beer and wine in sealed packages only if the base license clears in time — but could not hold sampling events until the full Series 10S is issued by the state.
No opposition has surfaced in any public record. The process is procedural, not contested. But the two-step timeline is real, and shoppers wondering whether the store will have tastings on opening weekend should watch for the state board’s final action after August 31.
For more on how Mesa is growing in this corridor, see our coverage of the Eastmark Aquatic Complex vote and the Hawes Crossing Village 7 development moving through the city at the same time.
