HPC_ATTACH DTHC SLIDES FOR HPC-THPF JOINT MEETING 41526.PPTX

Downtown Tempe 
Historic Core Plan
City Council and Historic Preservation Commission Joint Meeting – Mar. 30, 2026

Welcome
Presentation
Background
Schedule
Participation
Plan Area
Draft Plan Recommendations
Draft Plan Design Guidelines
Next Steps

Background
3

Background
4
Downtown Historic Core Plan – Purpose
• Implements General Plan policy HP7
• Establishes a planning framework and 
study area
• Provides context for historic preservation 
and downtown growth
• Recognizes cultural and historic 
connections
• Informs future policy and implementation 
options

Schedule

SUM
MER

Participation
7

Engagement and Public Participation
•
Arizona Historic Preservation Foundation
•
Arizona State University (ASU)
•
Downtown Tempe Authority
•
Gila River Indian Community (GRIC)
•
Historic Core Businesses and Property Owners
•
Tempe Chamber of Commerce
•
Tempe Economic Development Staff
•
Tempe History Museum
•
Tempe Historic Preservation Foundation
•
Tempe Sister Cities
•
Tempe Tourism Office
•
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
•
Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community 
(SRP-MIC)
Small Group Focus Meetings
Community Meetings
September
October
November
December
DRC and HPC
Development Review 
Commission (DRC) 
and Historic 
Preservation 
Commission (HPC)
Community Survey
January 2026
8
City Council Study 
Session
To continue in March 2026

Key Takeaways
• Preserve Cultural Identity
• Protect Tempe Butte (including viewsheds) historic character, and Downtown authenticity
• Balance Growth and Context
• Tailor design guidelines to fit the character of the historic core
• Fill Everyday Gaps
• Find ways to incentivize daily-serving uses 
• Plan for Flexibility and Certainty
• Provide adaptable standards with clear guidance to support housing and mixed-use growth
• Public Realm Matters
• Prioritize shade and walkability, and seek opportunities for improved public gathering spaces
9

Plan Goals
10

5 Plan Goals
1.
Celebrate History
• Expand Historic Resource Protections
• Inventory and protect key historic buildings 
• Explore historic district opportunities
2.
Promote Context-Sensitive Development
• Establish Design Guidelines
• Create guidelines for new development that respects the presence of the City’s historic properties
3.
Support Vibrant Mixed-Use Growth
• Encourage Adaptive Reuse
• Incentivize reuse of historic structures while maintaining historic integrity
• Ensure a Balanced Approach to Development
• Explore creative ways to create financial incentives so that development does not come at the 
expense of historic resources
• Explore feasibility of overall community and family serving land uses that are underrepresented in 
the Downtown Core such as grocery stores, independent retailers, and services
11

5 Plan Goals
4. Enhance Economic Vitality
• Promote Infill on Underutilized Parcels
• Identify underutilized or redevelopable parcels
• Promote historic tourism and local businesses
• Balance density and ensure there are ample economic benefits to pursuing Historic 
Preservation on a parcel-by-parcel basis
5.
Strengthen Downtown Tempe’s Identity
• Improve Public Spaces and the Public Right of Way
• Public Art and Historic Artifacts
• Enhance Connectivity Throughout and Beyond the Downtown
• Wayfinding
• Connections to key adjacent landmarks: ASU, Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe Butte, etc. 
12

Plan Area
13

Draft Boundary
Walkable, mixed-use environment that traditionally served as the 
primary center of commerce, public life, and cultural activity for 
Tempe with a concentration of historic, civic, and higher density 
development.
What does the “Downtown Historic Core” mean?
DOWNTOWN
HISTORIC
CORE
14

Draft Boundary
Consistent historic fabric reflected in the continuity of building 
scale, architectural style, materials, street patterns, and parcel size 
that convey a cohesive historic character. Unified historic context 
rather than isolated and/or relocated resources.
What does the “Downtown Historic Core” mean?
DOWNTOWN
HISTORIC
CORE
15

Draft Boundary
The symbolic and functional heart of downtown. Concentrating 
efforts and focusing within this area can: 
• Help protect integrity
• Reinforce the downtown identity
• Provide clarity for property owners, developers, and the public
• Balance preservation with compatible change
• Retain a legible and vibrant historic fabric
What does the “Downtown Historic Core” mean?
DOWNTOWN
HISTORIC
CORE
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Plan Boundary
17

Opportunities 
and 
Considerations
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Opportunities
Opportunity Sites
Historic Resources 
Pedestrian Paseos
Transit Connections
Open Space Connections
Multi-modal Connections

Considerations
Non-historic context
Potential impacts to 
viewsheds of Tempe Butte
Consistent street wall 
along Mill Avenue
3rd Street becomes Transit-
Only east of Mill Avenue
Views to and from Tempe 
Butte

Draft Plan
21

Organization of the Draft Plan
• Introduction
• Plan Goals
• Downtown Tempe Historic Core
• Recommendations and Strategies
• Design Guidelines
• Implementation
22

Draft Policy Categories
The plan establishes 6 policy categories to guide the DTHC:
• Land Use and Development
• Economic Development
• Public Realm and Placemaking
• Mobility and Parking
• Infrastructure and Sustainability
• Historic Preservation
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• Context matters most: place a strong 
emphasis on tailoring land use, density, 
and building form to surrounding 
uses/neighborhoods 
• Flexibility over rigidity: adaptable 
zoning and development standards to 
accommodate future change 
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What we heard
Land Use and Development

Land Use and Development
Recommendations
• Establish Downtown Tempe Historic Core design guidelines and 
explore this as a potential “sending” area for a Transfer of 
Development Rights (TDR) program
• Provide clear guidelines and opportunities for infill, adaptive reuse, 
and redevelopment
• Identify “growth areas” beyond the historic core for increased 
employment and housing that aligns with the General Plan
25

Land Use and Development
Reasoning
• To maintain and reconnect the low
-scale historic fabric of Mill 
Avenue
• Opportunity for infill growth with 
sites identified as opportunities for 
development
26

Land Use and Development
Considerations
• Focus growth on 
opportunity and catalyst 
sites
• Encourage mixed-use 
and vertical intensity 
where appropriate
Incentives
• Density bonuses for 
preservation
• Transfer of development 
rights
• Efficiency
• Streamlined approval 
processes
27

Economic Development
• Everyday uses such as dry cleaners, 
hardware stores, and pharmacies are 
missing from the downtown
• Support small, local-owned businesses 
within the Downtown Historic Core
• Balanced growth: pair protections for local 
character and existing residents with the 
support for growth 
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What we heard

Economic Development
Recommendations
• Aligning incentives, façade improvements, and tenant support 
programs with community partners
• Support sidewalk dining and programming to increase foot traffic 
• Explore opportunities for incubator-style business hub or public 
market to serve as a gathering space and economic catalyst
29

Economic Development
Reasoning
• Sustain a high energy pedestrian
-oriented environment
• Support a park-once approach 
by attracting a variety of users and 
shoppers
• Supports the General Plan and 
access to daily needs 
30

Economic Development
Considerations
• Location of everyday 
businesses in relationship 
to parking is important
• Resident serving uses 
such as pharmacies, etc. 
are last to arrive in a 
growing urban core and 
tied to occupied housing 
units
Incentives
• Marketing partnerships
• Incubator partnerships
• Event sponsorships and 
partnerships
31

Public Realm and Placemaking
• Use the public realm to tell the whole story 
of Downtown and Tempe (through buildings, 
signs, walking tours, etc…)
• Importance of gathering spaces and public 
open space, utilize existing spaces and 
improve upon them to advance these goals
• Emphasize the desert identity and provide 
opportunities for the stories of the Four 
Southern Tribes to be told
32
What we heard

Public Realm and Placemaking
Recommendations
• Civic anchors that signal you are in the Downtown Historic Core 
at 5th and Mill and Rio Salado and Mill intersections
• Cultural spine system through ground-plane art and 
activations, architectural interventions, shade structures, and 
integrated wayfinding elements 
• Use underutilized façade and secondary wall conditions for 
curated murals, rotating works, and temporary installations
33

Public Realm and Placemaking
Reasoning
• Layered storytelling that builds 
identity and reinforces the 
cultural and historic stories
• Support the ease of movement 
to and from the Downtown 
Historic Core for all modes of 
transportation
34

Public Realm and Placemaking
Considerations
• Prioritize using artists 
from the Four Southern 
Tribes
• Prioritize Mill Avenue and 
extend east-west once 
anchors are completed
• Don’t overwhelm the 
public realm with large 
installations
Incentives
• Financial support
• Capital Improvement 
Program
• Third-party grants 
• Reinvestment of sales tax 
related to construction cost
• Partnerships
• Public-private partnerships
• Sponsorships from 
nonprofits or other entities
35

Mobility and Parking
• Encourage mixed-use where it 
strengthens activity and walkability and 
prioritize multimodal access
• Look at the impact that development has 
on sidewalks, streets, and parking
• The light rail and streetcar are huge 
investments that should be leveraged
36
What we heard

Mobility and Parking
Recommendations
• Prioritize short-term, high-turnover parking along Mill Ave and 
strategically locate longer-term parking on the edges of and 
outside of the DTHC
• Keeping surface lots discrete and at the DTHC edges
• Outside the DTHC, strategically prioritize parking hubs that 
provide ample supply to serve the broader downtown
37

Mobility and Parking
Reasoning
• The DTHC serves as Tempe’s 
version of a walkable and 
historic retail center 
• Maintain the continuous street 
wall by keeping parking lots and 
driveways away from Mill Ave
38

Mobility and Parking
Considerations
• Short-term parking along 
Mill allows businesses to 
serve more customers
• Clear wayfinding to divert 
drivers off of Mill Ave to 
look for long-term parking
• Intuitive ingress and 
egress that minimizes cut
-through traffic
Incentives
• Financial support
• Grants (transportation, 
safety, sustainability)
• Regional funding
• Development impact fees
• Parking district revenue
• Demand-based pricing 
• Partnerships
• Public-private partnerships
39

Infrastructure and Sustainability
• Shade is critically important
• Importance of public-realm 
improvements
• Minimal water use and native 
vegetation were brought up as key 
environmental topics
40
What we heard

Infrastructure and Sustainability
Recommendations
• Leverage the investments made in the Downtown Refresh to set 
a high bar for sustainable private development and long-term 
infrastructure performance throughout the Downtown
• Incorporate shaded frontages, low-impact stormwater systems, 
and tree canopy extension into private realm design guidelines
• Continue streetscape improvements east and west from Mill 
Avenue going forward for a cohesive streetscape throughout the 
Downtown Historic Core
41

Infrastructure and Sustainability
Reasoning
Recent upgrades on Mill 
Avenue through the 
Downtown Refresh project 
should be utilized as a new 
standard and set the bar for 
future infrastructure and 
sustainability measures
42

Infrastructure and Sustainability
Considerations
• Opportunities for 
additional infrastructure 
or sustainability 
measures should be 
carefully examined
• Investment in the public 
ROW should coincide 
with private investment to 
maximize improvements
Incentives
• Financial support
• Utility rebates
• Third-party grants 
• Efficiency
• Expedited permitting
• Partnerships
• Infrastructure cost-sharing
43

Historic Preservation
• Existing listed historic resources should be 
well protected and preserved
• The character/authenticity of Tempe’s 
historic core is part of its uniqueness 
• The connection between old and new 
needs to be carefully studied 
• Maintain the integrity of historic areas 
that have a consistent character
44
What we heard

Historic Preservation
Recommendations
• Prioritize preservation and rehabilitation of historic resources 
• Development of design guidelines through this planning effort
• Consider applying to place the Downtown Tempe Historic Core in 
the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
• Listing additional city-owned historic resources in the NRHP and 
the Tempe Register of Historic Properties
45

Historic Preservation
Reasoning
Resources within the DTHC have 
the distinction of existing within a 
context that constitutes the only 
remaining area in Downtown 
Tempe with a consistent historic 
fabric and design language that 
connects various individual 
resources to each other
46

Historic Preservation
Considerations
• Implement façade 
conservation to protect 
the street wall 
• Careful design of infill to 
reconnect properties to 
the historic fabric
• Incentives for 
preservation and 
rehabilitation
Incentives
• Financial support
• Third-party grants 
• Tax incentives
• Technical assistance
• Transfer of Development 
Rights (TDR)
• City purchase of historic 
resources
47

Draft Design 
Guidelines
48

Design Guidelines - Purpose and Intent
• Establishing a clear and predictable framework for new 
development, additions, adaptive reuse, and significant 
renovations within the Historic Core 
• Preserving the historic street-wall and fine-grained 
character of Mill Avenue
• Supporting economic vitality and reinvestment
• Enhancing pedestrian comfort and climate resilience in 
a desert environment
49

Guiding Principles for Design Guidelines
50
• Respect the Historic Street-Wall
• Accommodate Growth 
Strategically
• Prioritize the Public Realm
• Encourage Authentic 
Contemporary Design
• Design for Climate

Design Guidelines – Height Zones
Limit high-rise in core area, 
retain the low-scale architectural 
character that is present in the 
historic core. New buildings  
should be compatible with the 
historic massing of buildings 
51
What we heard

Design Guidelines – Height Zones
52

Height Zones
Mill Avenue
Secondary Streets
Gateway and Transition 
Areas
Historic Resources
Guidelines: Height zones establish a 
base height that reinforces the 
pedestrian scale and a maximum 
height that reflects the location within 
the Historic Core.
Objective: Provide predictable and 
context-sensitive height limits that 
protect the historic Mill Avenue 
spine while accommodating denser 
development in appropriate areas. 
Base height: 28-36 feet
Max height: 65 feet
Base height: 45-60 feet
Max height: 90-120 feet
Base height: 36-45 feet
Max height: 50-100 feet

Massing and Façade Rhythm
New buildings should respect the historic 
character and not overpower historic 
buildings with incompatible architecture
54
What we heard

Massing and Façade Rhythm
Guidelines: Buildings 
should visually reflect 
traditional storefront widths 
and vertical proportions
55
A. Divide facades along all streets into modules between 20 and 40 feet in width.
B. Provide vertical articulation, such as pilasters, recesses, or material shifts, at intervals not exceeding 30 feet.
C. Ground floor heights along Mill Avenue should be a minimum of 14 feet floor-to-floor to support retail activity and 
remain consistent with historic storefronts.
Objective: Reinforce the 
fine-grained pattern of 
historic buildings and 
prevent monolithic building 
forms.
D. Buildings longer than 150 feet 
should incorporate horizontal 
articulation of at least 5 feet in 
depth at intervals of 75 feet.
E. Avoid uninterrupted horizontal 
spandrels or continuous glazing 
across multiple storefront 
modules.

Design Guidelines – Ground Floor
Emphasize indoor-outdoor connections 
and public realm improvements, and 
create a great atmosphere for small and 
independent locally-owned businesses 
and entrepreneurs to thrive
56
What we heard

Ground Floor Activation
Guidelines: Ground floors should 
prioritize transparency, active use, and 
pedestrian access.
Objective: Ground floors should 
contribute to a vibrant, pedestrian-
oriented environment consistent with 
Mill Avenue’s historic retail character.
A. Encourage active commercial or community-serving 
uses along at least 80 percent of Mill Avenue 
frontage.
B. Provide a minimum of 65 percent transparency 
between 2 and 10 feet above sidewalk grade.
C. Provide pedestrian entries at intervals not exceeding 
50 feet along Mill Avenue.
D. Prohibit blank walls exceeding 15 feet in width.
E. Limit finished floor elevation to no more than 18 
inches above sidewalk grade.
57

Implementation
58

Implementation
Tools and recommendations to be included in final report:
• Catalyst projects
• Regulatory tools
• Funding and financing
• Monitoring and metrics
59

Next Steps
60

SUM
MER

Discussion

Downtown Tempe Historic Core 
Plan
City Council and Historic Preservation Commission Joint Meeting– Mar. 30, 2026

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