No stadium yet, but women's sports campus coming to Fiesta Mall site

• Instead, the developer announced a "women's sports health campus" at a Wednesday media event.
• And while other "sports facilities" are still part of the master plan for what will be called the Palo District, Sunny Day Sports CEO Vicki Mayo sidestepped questions about professional soccer, saying more "exciting developments" would be announced next year.

Catch up quick: The Mesa City Council last month approved a theme park district that will allow the developers to assess fees on goods and services on the site.

• During the meeting, city officials repeatedly mentioned that theme park fees could be used to fund a sports stadium, and after the vote, Mayo said the district designation would allow Sunny Day Sports to "pursue a marquee project," the Arizona Republic reported.

Zoom in: The "first of its kind" women's health and sports campus will "anchor" the overall project, including multifamily housing, offices, restaurants, retail and sports facilities.

• It will incorporate a comprehensive network of health, wellness and athletic performance facilities focused on girls and women, Mayo said.
• "This new campus will… support athletes, athletic excellence, research, training and community recreation," said Sharon Harper, chair and CEO of Plaza Companies, the project's master developer.

What we're watching: The council last month also approved a development agreement that outlined plans for Sunny Day Sports to purchase the land from its current owner, local billionaire Ernest Garcia II, the Republic reported.

• Yes, but: Mayo wouldn't answer questions about the sale on Wednesday, saying only that her company has "rights" on the land and more details would come later.

The bottom line: Mayo and Harper assured reporters that the Palo District, which is expected to break ground early next year, would be "transformative" — but many details about the future of one of the East Valley's most important pieces of real estate remain murky.