The Tempe City Council on June 4 approved a high-density rezoning of the former Legend City site at Papago Park, advanced a first hearing on cutting parking minimums near light rail stations, and voted down a 7-story mixed-use project on Spence Avenue.
The council held hearings on all three items during its regular meeting.
Legend City site rezoning
The council approved a General Plan Land Use and Residential Density Map Amendment from Commercial to Mixed-Use High for the former Legend City site at Papago Park, paired with a zoning map amendment and rezoning. Mixed-Use High permits up to 65 dwelling units per acre. The site had been designated Commercial under the previous General Plan, which did not allow housing.
The Legend City site is near the Loop 202 freeway and light rail stations on the Valley Metro system first extension east of Tempe.
TOD parking minimums
The council held the first of two required public hearings on a zoning code amendment reducing parking requirements for properties within the Transportation Overlay District, the area within roughly half a mile of Valley Metro light rail stations. A second hearing and final vote is still required.
Marshall on Spence continued
The council did not approve the zoning map amendment and Planned Area Development overlay needed for The Marshall on Spence, a proposed 7-story mixed-use building. The project had sought a change from R-4 and CSS zoning to MU-4. Council member Arlene Chin questioned whether the inclusion of an ATM was merely a box-checking exercise and an abuse of the process. Other council members questioned whether the height of the building was excessive and if reducing the height by a floor would be a better fit for the neighborhood.
Had the project has been denied, the developer would have been required to wait an entire year to resubmit the project. With the 6-month continuance, members of the City Council expressed hope that their concerns could be addressed and the project suitably modified.