Affordable housing units, fire station coming to Tempe

The Tempe City Council unanimously approved the purchase of a 3-acre lot, formerly the home of a Big Lots store near East Baseline Road and Rural Road. The acquisition cost about $6.6 million, and the city used money from a 2024 voter-approved $32 million bond.

Affordable housing and a fire station are both dire needs in central and south Tempe. It’s hoped that the new development will address the needs of the community. Although no official site plan has been publicly released, the project is expected to include a minimum of 50 affordable housing units above a fire station.

The earliest construction can begin is 2028, as two tenants currently have leases until then.

Corey Woods, Mayor of Tempe, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the Council’s decision and how these new, affordable units will impact people in Tempe.

“We try to do things big in the city of Tempe,” Woods said about out the cost of the new development. “When you have a landlocked city of only 40 square miles, land many times, comes at a premium. This is the first major investment in [the 2024 Affordable Housing] bond.”

Along with the affordable units and fire station, the City is planning on using that bond money to upgrade and improve the emergency response times for their fire medical rescue department.

Affordable housing is defined by being no more than 30 percent of an areas gross income for housing costs which includes utilities, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“We’re trying to find ways to provide housing for people who would otherwise be priced out of our communities,” Woods said. “We all know that the cost of living in Tempe, and the entire Valley, is going up. Our service workers, our teachers, our nurses are rapidly getting priced out of our community. Affordable housing is a critical need.”

To learn more about the new affordable housing and fire station in Tempe visit the city of Tempe’s community services page.