At last night’s City Council meeting, the vast majority of councilmembers stated they would vote AGAINST replacing a gas station with student housing at the end of the month.
The project, called “The Standard”, would replace the old Vine Tavern and Chevron gas station on Rural and Apache. Proposed as 363 student apartments housing 950 ASU students, the site is literally across the street from ASU campus and a Streetcar stop. This apartment would bring a substantial ridership boost to the Streetcar, which Tempe and the Federal Government spent $192 million to build. They would also provide a new bus station, and plant lots of trees for shade. Sounds great, right?
Not so fast: the project is out of compliance with a non-binding vision plan the city recently passed. The horror.
In scrounging up reasons to oppose student housing, staff and council used whatever justifications they could. These full time students walking distance from ASU might need more parking spaces. The General Plan isn’t binding but it made a suggestion the property be high density instead of very high density. What if the neighborhood named “University Estates” doesn’t want more university students nearby?
Well, I want more students nearby. If Council won’t put them adjacent to ASU they should do the next best thing: put them in my neighborhood.
I live in Daley Park, less than a mile from the proposed site. I was a student once, most of my neighbors have some current or former ASU affiliation. The beauty and opportunities available to my neighborhood are attributable in equal measure, I think, to the hard work of all of us neighbors and the job opportunities presented by our proximity to ASU. Half of the very involved members of my neighborhood seem to be employed by ASU or have an advanced degree from the same.
So bring them here. Bring every student into Daley Park, University Estates, Broadmor Cavalier, and every ASU-adjacent neighborhood that hates tall buildings. Spread out evenly across my neighborhood you could build many many more homes before even cracking 3 stories.
Tempe needs a place for a growing body of students to live. If not next to campus and public transit, then where? Council is planning to kill new student housing, with no immediate plans to replace it elsewhere. Put them in my backyard.
We encourage Tempe residents to email City Council ([email protected]) and let them know that you support student housing at Apache and Rural as proposed. Tell them you want to see much more housing built near transit. We especially encourage you to do so if you live nearby or are a student.
You should also BCC: [email protected] so we know you sent it.
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