A north Tempe Hotel that the owner says was once the site for drug use and sales is in the middle of a discussion about rezoning for affordable apartments.
The Tempe Oasis hotel on 1635 N. Scottsdale Road near McKellips Road went before the city council to request to rezone to a mixed-use area at the June 11 city council meeting.
The Tempe Oasis Hotel was once a Ramada Inn in the 1970s and the property has not been renovated since, said Deborah Silva of Camber and True in Tempe.
The plan will be mostly one-bedroom units, with five studio apartments and seven two-bedroom apartments for a total of 142 units. Silva said this will be an increase of the number of rooms as the new project plans to take common spaces and create more living units.
The plan also includes a coffee and sandwich concept for the area.
“This project is special to us, its an opportunity for the property owner to be a good steward of the area,” Silva said.
Owner Hung Pham, who introduced himself as “Danny,” said he bought the property in 2019 after experiences with other properties in Glendale and Phoenix.
Pham said that he has eliminated drug use and sales that occurred on the property before he bought it, that the hotel has won several awards and that he is looking to make the property into apartments for the good of the neighborhood.
“I would never go after revenue first; I could have sold the hotel and cashed out,” he said. “I chose to stay, and I chose to make a difference for the neighborhood and all of Tempe.”
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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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