Via City of Tempe
By Sam Kmack | Arizona Republic
Tempe is gearing up to revamp the city’s historic Mill Avenue, a $22 million venture that’s expected to include everything from new trees and landscaping, to updated lighting, to pedestrian seating in Tempe’s historic downtown core.
The projects will run along Mill Avenue between Rio Salado Parkway and University Drive. They’re part of a broader initiative called Refresh Tempe, which began last year and includes a slew of other citywide projects such the overhaul of Clark Park and a new fire station near the intersection of Fairmont Drive and Hardy Drive.
Along Mill Avenue, most of the larger-scale additions are still in the design phase and won’t begin construction until at least next year, so many of the specific additions aren’t yet set in stone. But when the plans are finalized, the upgrades could include:
- At least 23 new trees to replace those that have died or are missing from the Mill Avenue streetscape. That’s about 15% of the street’s total tree space, according to Kate Borders, the former executive director of the Downtown Tempe Authority.
- New brick sidewalks, painted concrete accents across the sidewalks — which look like small paths and largely decorative — and other sidewalk artwork, such as concrete portraits of historical Tempe figures, to “reflect Tempe history and culture”
- “Urban living rooms,” which are expanded sidewalk areas with tables and seating along Mill Avenue that will be barricaded from the road using new landscaping planters or railings. A city memo states, “studies have shown that these features can increase pedestrian activity and additional sales of the surrounding businesses.”
- A variety of shade structures where Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets intersect with Mill Avenue.
