By Sam Kmack | Arizona Republic
Tempe has a big year planned for 2023 with major development deals, the overhaul of a city park that’s been dormant for decades and the revitalization of its downtown core all coming to a head.
Voters will decide whether to make Tempe the new home city for an NHL franchise during a special election in May and a $1.8 billion project called South Pier at Tempe Town Lake may appear in the city’s skyline if it gets out of court after a yearlong delay.
Clark Park will get a major makeover after a decade of being a rundown site with a “decommissioned” pool. The surrounding area has a median income that’s 40% less than it is citywide, making the park’s new public amenities a must have for locals.
Tempe will also become even more accommodating for bicyclists, with nearly $4 million worth of roadwork on Alameda Drive that will provide another safe bike route to and from Phoenix.
Many of the initiatives have been long awaited and promise to have a sizable impact — whether it be on the city as a whole or on segments of the population, ranging from hardcore hockey fans to bikers to Tempe’s most underprivileged children.
These are the transformative projects Tempeans can look forward to in 2023.
Multibillion-dollar deals on Town Lake
The Arizona Coyotes submitted a proposal to make Tempe its hometown in fall of 2021. The $2.1 billion deal has evolved into one of the biggest and most controversial in Tempe’s history.
It would involve building nearly 2,000 apartments, an NHL arena and an entertainment district on 46 acres of Tempe-owned land west of Town Lake. The property has been used as a landfill and currently houses a municipal operations yard.
The hockey franchise will cover most of the cost, with the only public dollars coming from new tax revenue generated on the site that currently produces no cash anyways. But the catch is that it’s the “last bulk” of empty land Tempe has to sell.
