Mayor Corey Woods delivered his 2024 State of the City Address at the Tempe Chamber of Commerce’s annual event Dec. 4, discussing Tempe’s successes recorded over the last year and what’s in store for 2025.
The chamber has been hosting the gathering for 26 years as a way to connect businesses with community leaders and hear more about how Tempe leadership is taking action to prepare the city for the future.
Robin Arredondo-Savage, recently appointed president/CEO of the chamber, emceed the event held at the Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU, welcoming local business, education and city leaders for their continued partnerships with the chamber.
Arredondo-Savage had been serving as the chamber’s interim president/CEO since July, and it was announced that she had assumed the role permanently as of Dec. 1.
“For over a century, the Tempe chamber has been dedicated to sustaining Tempe’s quality of life and keeping our community and economy vibrant, and I look forward to continuing that tradition,” Arredondo-Savage said.
Working for a better Tempe
Woods’ speech, the focal point of the event, overviews the recent achievements of the city during the past year, touching on challenges encountered and what the city has in the works to make improvements for the community.
Starting off with some of Tempe’s achievements, Woods highlighted his recent initiative with Mesa Mayor John Giles, Disagree Better Arizona, a bipartisan effort to foster political discussions without “creating enemies.”
He said it’s imperative to listen to others’ opinions when working in city leadership to create healthy dialogue across the political spectrum to develop solutions to problems facing the community.
“Our Tempe team as a whole practices active listening constantly. Every issue our city works on includes opportunities for residents and our business community to offer opinions and help shape our policies,” Woods said.
Tempe’s latest community survey, he continued, showed that 96% of residents who interacted with city staff reported that they felt they were treated honestly and fairly, and 93% of residents responded that team members were listening to them carefully.
The 2024 Tempe State of the City Address took place at the Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU.
Independent Newsmedia/Caroline Yu
(Independent Newsmedia/Caroline Yu)
Residents also shared what they think the priorities for the city should be in 2025 in this report: supporting the unhoused community, improving the conditions of Tempe streets and growing neighborhood safety.
Woods noted some of efforts Tempe has taken to address these issues, including the city’s HOPE team and its bridge shelter program out of Sue’s Espacio, which both help unhoused people get connected to necessary resources and supports with food, housing, jobs and more.
“And as promised, we are certainly not done,” he said.
The city purchased the Apache Inn in May to establish a second bridge shelter that is expected to open in the spring.
Speaking of other efforts in creating more housing, Woods also pointed to the Hometown For All initiative, the coming La Victoria Commons project that is creating affordable rental and for sale units as well as other new housing projects coming across the city.
Support for bond questions
Woods also discussed the recently passed bond questions in the areas of improving Tempe streets, supporting public safety and continuing to preserve and maintain historic properties.
“At over 77%, the approval rate for the streets and public safety bond was the biggest landslide we’ve seen in Tempe in the past four years,” Woods said.
Tempe plans to improve the quality of every street in the city over the next four years, totaling 1,240 lane miles.
With its investments in street improvements, Tempe is also making strides in improving and creating greater public safety, whether that be driving throughout the city or for the city’s many first responders.
The second bond question sought voter approval for funding a number of new safety initiatives including two new fire stations, improvements to the six existing fire stations, a new police station as part of the Food City development and improvements to over 50 neighborhood and community parks.
Mayor Woods talks with Tempe Chamber President/CEO Robin Arredondo-Savage.
Independent Newsmedia/Caroline Yu
(Independent Newsmedia/Caroline Yu)
For street safety, Woods pointed to successes with the recently opened Real Time Operations Center, Tempe Police Department’s crackdown on street racing and a decline in violent crime across the city.
Tempe’s Vision Zero initiative also aims to reduce serious roadway collisions and fatalities to zero. In supporting that effort, the mayor said they will be launching a new photo radar program early next year.
Fourteen intersections will be equipped with full time speed and red-light cameras, and four mobile units will be used to monitor illegal driving hotspots.
“As a driver, I pretty much hate the idea of getting a ticket, but as the mayor of a city that needs to save lives, this will get results,” Woods said.
He also touched on the final bond question for historic preservation, which will focus on restoring Hayden Butte Preserve, the Petersen House Museum, the Elias Rodriguez House and Double Butte Cemetery.
The work ahead
Looking to Tempe’s future, Woods also talked about the evolution of Downtown Tempe. He said the demographics are changing and the average Tempe resident is over the age of 30.
“Downtown will always be home to Arizona State University, and we’re happy for that,” he said. “But we need restaurants, places to live and entertainment options meant for our entire community – every age and every interest.”
Tempe is looking to continue its revival of the downtown area, according to the mayor, and this commitment also applies to its investments in neighborhoods, city amenities and other city projects.
While the work can be hard, Woods said he and the city team are ready for the new projects and challenges that they will take on together, reflecting on the work that previous city leaders have done to accomplish feats like the creation of Tempe Town Lake.
“I look forward to that better tomorrow we have promised one another, and to meeting the future generations who will build on all that we accomplish,” Woods said.
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.
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