Via City of Tempe
By Sam Kmack | Arizona Republic
Tempe officials unanimously approved a controversial new plan for city growth at a packed City Council meeting on Thursday, a move that could shape development decisions for the next three decades if voters approve the plan on March 12.
General Plan 2050 has been in the works for more than a year. It’s a long-term planning strategy that creates development guardrails for Tempe by broadly defining how pieces of land can be used, which state law requires cities to update every decade.
The plan allows for far more units on properties south of Apache Boulevard, where Tempe’s downtown ends and single-family neighborhoods begin. It’s meant to increase housing options in a city that’s running out of land, but the result could be taller apartment buildings cropping up in areas that are historically more suburban.
The controversial change prompted more than three dozen residents to speak at Thursday’s meeting.
They largely split down generational lines. Older and more established residents tended to push back against the plan, while the young adults who attended the meeting voiced support for increased development because of their struggle to cover housing costs.
