Tempe’s Development Review Commission has recommended that city council approve the updated General Plan 2050 in August, despite community concern for the city’s growing population and a lack of housing.
General plans provide cities with guiding policies for city land use, and Tempe is in the process of developing its latest plan.
In Tempe, the city uses it to guide physical and economic development, land use, sustainability, transportation, historic preservation, neighborhood enhancement, open space and recreation, public art and cultural amenities and human services.
The latest update with the plan was discussed at the July 25 Development Review Commission meeting, where the commissioners unanimously recommended that city council approve the 2050 plan.
June projections from the Maricopa Association of Governments report that Tempe is expected to see the population grow from 181,600 in 2020 to 258,000 in 2050 — an increase of over 76,000 residents, a city staff report explained.
To accommodate this population growth, other notable changes show job numbers increasing from 192,400 in 2020 to 264,409 in 2050, and housing units are expected to increase from 82,626 to 111,635 in the same time frame.
Knowing that Tempe is expecting great growth in coming years, General Plan 2050 builds off of the previous General Plan 2040, including the city’s strategic priorities and trends in sustainability, land use management, public health, inclusiveness and technology among others.
“Six guiding principles to form the vision and purpose of the document: a balanced land use, enhanced quality of life, stable neighborhoods, increased economic vitality, sustained mobility/greater accessibility, sustainability/climate friendliness and environmental stewardship, and housing affordability/access/diversity of types,” the report stated.
Since the first draft of General Plan 2050 was released May 5, the public has submitted digital and in-person comments on how this plan can best serve Tempe residents. Using that feedback, city staff revised the document for its second public hearing at the July 25 Development Review Commission meeting.
Courtesy City of Tempe
(Courtesy City of Tempe)
General Plan 2050 also combines the city's projections for land use and density for the next 10 years.
Important changes made from the comments included strengthened focus on sustainability like in heat, environment planning and conservation along with prioritizing historic preservation.
Changes were also made in the zoning language where previously the city had proposed a “no density cap,” which residents were concerned would allow for developers to build out the city, impacting historic neighborhoods.
Tempe’s Principal Planner Ambika Adhikari, Senior Planner Jacob Payne and Deputy Municipal Utilities Director Craig Caggiano gave a presentation during the July 25 hearing on the plan’s major changes from its community outreach, goals for the next 30 years and keeping up with demands for water.
“In the planning, it’s always a balancing act. You hear conflicting ideas, and we were taught in planning it’s a trade off,” Adhikari said.
While some residents in their work have shown great support for the proposed general plan and what it could bring to Tempe in new housing and economic growth, others are worried about how increasing private developments would correlate with community-focused projects.
Some residents spoke at the meeting to encourage projects like increased bike lanes and public amenities like parks that could support the city’s growth without solely supporting big businesses.
Additional feedback
Although the city collected public comments from May through June via online surveys, emails, five public meetings and two meetings with a community work group, over 20 speakers provided additional comments about the 2050 plan at the hearing.
Many of these residents spoke against the proposed general plan citing issues with the increase in building height and density limits that could threaten Tempe’s “character” among other issues like the amount of public open space and how the city went about seeking community feedback.
One resident and member of the community work group, Anne Till, commented on the city’s current processes for developing the general plan in regards to “letting developers decide Tempe’s future.”
“The city needs to start listening to the community,” Till said. “Residents feel powerless and left out of Tempe’s future. We need a voice, we need to engage in neighborhoods early before designs are created. After the fact, postcards are ineffective.”
While the community work group attempted to garner public input, the group members came from public and private sectors, including city staff, business leaders and residents as well, representing interests beyond the average Tempe resident.
Till said that she thought it would be more impactful to have a specific group that represented the interests of residents given that new housing developments typically don’t address the needs of the existing population.
Demand for housing continues to grow and the problem extends beyond Tempe, creating a need for more affordable housing across the Valley.
(Special to the Independent/Arianna Grainey)
Housing remains an ongoing problem for Tempe as it considers the future of its land use.
Jason Adams, a Phoenix resident even brought this to light at the meeting, proposing that Tempe and other cities in similar situations consider zoning solutions that support diverse housing types, rather than prioritizing single-family homes.
“I think that kind of approach would be much better than this weird false dichotomy between big buildings and single-family sprawl, which is not very efficient and meanwhile, the big buildings are very imposing,” Adams said.
General Plan 2050 shows that Tempe would focus the majority of large-scale development downtown, while the majority of the city would remain designated as single-family, particularly in south Tempe.
With a diverse population of workforce individuals, students and families, the city will need an array of housing types to support its residents and workers going forward.
At the end of the hearing, Commission Chair Michael DiDomenico said that if residents want to see changes, they need to be hyper-specific when talking with city staff about the issues that they have with the plan.
Additionally, there is still time to make changes to the document before city council makes its decision. Its first hearing is set for 6 p.m., Aug. 10 at Tempe City Hall.
“Again, it’s a living document,” DiDomenico said. “Whatever goes forward tonight, it won’t be the last changes made to it during this process.”
Following council approval, General Plan 2050 will be put on the March 12, 2024 ballot for voters to approve of reject.
Reporter Caroline Yu can be reached at cyu@iniusa.org
To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Caroline Caroline Yu joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2020 as a summer intern covering Scottsdale. As an intern, she continued her coverage of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Tempe. After graduating in 2022, Caroline became a full-time reporter for Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. She is currently reporting for the Tempe market.
Community: She is a supporter of the environment and tries to get involved with related community events.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a minor in French.
Random Fact: She used to be a ballet dancer for 10 years.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here