A year after the first hearing, the Marshall on Spence project continues
City of Tempe
The site at 10344 E. Spence Ave. is currently occupied by a multifamily residential complex known as the Tempe Palms apartments, which was constructed in 1970.
After over a year of planning and input from the public, the Tempe City Council voted 6-1 recently to continue discussions with the Marshall on Spence project for an additional six months before voting on the project.
To the dismay of Mayor Corey Woods, who was the sole dissenting vote June 4 on the continuation, the applicant will have six months to improve upon the council’s critiques.
“We spoke at the last council meeting and one of the motions that we voted on as a group was that this would be the last time we approved a continuance and we pledged that to the public and I would feel much more comfortable following through with what we told our residents,” Woods said.
CHA Consulting is presenting the project and requesting rezoning for a mixed-use, high-density area. The complex will have 105 units on over 0.8 acres.
Civil engineers Anthony Vitale and Ben Harrell presented the project and shared that there would be various unit sizes from studio up to five-bedroom units, with 269 total bedrooms, but only 89 parking spaces with an exit on Apache Boulevard. There would also be secure bike storage and dedicated on-street parking for residents and visitors.
Formerly Tempe Palms apartments, a complex built in the 1970s with two floors. Marshall will have seven floors with an eighth-floor penthouse. The frontage that faces Spence Avenue will have four floors, with pedestrian access to the lobby and commercial space.
Councilmember Arlene Chin noted that it had been a year since the first hearing and asked what the plans were for the retail space on the first floor and was disappointed to hear that only 120 square feet was allotted for an ATM.
Some members of the public supported the development, with one homeowner saying that “this is exactly the development that aligns with Tempe’s plans for growth,” William Rodriguez, who owns a home in the area, said virtually.
“I bought this house because I saw cranes and thought ‘this is where I want to be because of all of the development happening,’” he said.
Others did not support the change.
Christian Curry, a former Tempe resident and government relations staff member for Maricopa County, also opposed the development.
“Pointing to a 120 square foot ATM space, which quite frankly there are closets bigger than that, is a joke for calling it commercial space,” he said.
Chin also noted that she was disappointed with the little retail space offered and called it “disrespectful,” as the residents would need more services like a coffee shop or a store to walk to.
“There are a lot of things about this project that I really like, but there are too many issues for me to support it,” Chin said before the vote.
Councilmember Jennifer Adams and Randy Keating said they approved of the project, citing a need for housing.
Councilmember Randy Keating spoke to Mayor Woods as he attended virtually in support of the project because of the need for affordable housing.
“Mayor, I make more, if not double now, than I did in 2016 when I bought my house and I could not afford my house today,” he said, speaking to the economic concerns of today and the challenges that come with buying a house with high interest rates, inflation, and a lack of supply nationwide.
Councilmember Nikki Amberg said she disapproved of the project because the development was not right for the space.
“It just looks so bad to have a multi-story building in a residential space,” she said. She explained that the traffic issue would create more problems for the area.
She also said that the need for cash is minimal, and that an ATM would not benefit the area, especially students.
The council allowed the project to continue for six months, to allow newly elected Councilmembers Brooke St. George and Bobby Nichols to be educated on the project, but did not set a date on when there would be another public hearing.
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Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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