By BEX Staff for AZBEX
Earlier this month, the Tempe Development Review Commission voted 7-0 to advance a strip mall proposal to City Council. Council has scheduled hearings for Sept. 5 and Sept. 19, with a vote scheduled for the second meeting.
The development plan for the unnamed retail center features four single-level buildings. The total building area is 27.5KSF, with 11.5KSF dedicated to retail space and the remaining 16KSF for restaurant use.
The project site is at 862 East Warner Road, on the NWC of Rural and Warner.
The proposed plan contains 235 parking spaces, just short of the required 264. Consequently, a planned area development overlay will be required. The site will also need to be rezoned from agricultural to planned commercial center. A restaurant-focused development across the street from the planned location had previously been granted a similar zoning change.
According to local news outlets, the proposal has generated a degree of controversy among area residents. Residents spoke at the DRC hearing both in opposition and in support of the project. Opponents presented concerns about traffic, overflow parking on neighborhood streets and potential negative impacts on neighborhood character.
Supporters, however, said the site has languished as an undeveloped location that does not contribute to the neighborhood’s quality of life or offer any benefits in its current condition. One speaker referred to the corner as “an eyesore.”
According to information in the DATABEX project database, a project with retail space and a daycare center had previously been proposed for the site in 2019 and 2020 but the plans never moved forward.
Thompson Thrift is the owner. The architect is Butler Design Group. A general contractor has yet to be publicly named.
