By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Having broken ground on the first phase of the massive South Pier at Tempe Town Lake master plan around the beginning of the year, developer South Pier Tempe Holdings LLC (McBride Cohen Management Group) is preparing to move forward with the next phase of the project.
Project representative Gammage & Burnham and architect DAVIS submitted an initial application for an amended planned area development overlay and development plan review to the City of Tempe in May. While the documents have not yet been publicly released, BEX Research staff obtained them through a public records request.
The overall South Pier master plan consists of seven development-ready vacant lots and two tracts that total approximately 18.4 acres between Rio Salado Parkway and Tempe Town Lake. The current application says, “The master plan for South Pier consists of 2,592 multifamily residential units (2,182 apartments, 160 condominiums and 250 senior / assisted living units), 109KSF of retail/restaurant use space, 520 hotel keys and associated meeting space, and 610KSF of commercial office space to be provided within 17 towers of varying heights on seven development lots.”
The first phase of the project is known as South Pier Lot 6 (Phase I). According to the latest submission, building plans have been submitted and actual construction is expected to begin later this year. Earlier reports have set the construction completion target for 2026.
The new applications cover South Pier Lot 1 (Phase 2) and will, if built as proposed, deliver nearly 1.45MSF in a mixed-use development that includes a 27-story tower with 312 multifamily units and a 16-story tower with 339.1KSF of office space, along with several other amenities and publicly available offerings on a 3.04-acre lot.
Quoting the application, the specifically planned components are listed as:
- 312 multifamily residential units (64 studios, 172 one-bedrooms, 57 two-bedrooms and 19 three-bedrooms) within a 27-story tower;
- 339,133 gross square feet of office use space within a 16-story tower;
- 8,085 square feet of restaurant/coffee shop space at street-level;
- 5,263 square feet of outdoor dining/patio space;
- 10,207 square feet of retail space at street-level;
- A shared amenity deck on level seven for resident and office tenant use;
- A pool and spa and pool deck for resident and guest use on level seven;
- Two balconies for office tenant use on level seven;
- Two balconies for office tenant use on level 16;
- A rooftop observation deck on the residential tower; and,
- Indoor (e.g. fitness center, clubhouse, game areas, lounge, juice bar and meeting rooms) amenity spaces.
The plan also calls for 1,676 vehicle parking spaces within eight levels (two below-grade, one at-grade and five above-grade levels) of structure parking; and 374 bicycle spaces. There will be an approximately 18KSF green space and “substantial landscape and pedestrian walkway enhancements along Rio Salado Parkway.”
The application says the amended PAD is intended to set specific development standards for the site and obtain development plan review approvals for Lot 1 and the adjoining green space that include the site and landscape plans and the building elevations.
The overall site and the proposed Lot 1 development are zoned Mixed-Use, High Density and are within the Pier 202 Planned Area Development Overlay District. The PAD has been amended to accommodate various projects several times over the years, including in 2007, 2012, 2016 and twice in 2022. One of the 2022 amendments was specifically to enable the development of Lot 6 and associated projects.
The site is subject to multiple separate but related guiding documents, including Tempe’s General Plan 2040; the Downtown Tempe, Rio Salado, ASU and NW Neighborhoods Character Area Plan; the Mill + Lake District Planning Area; the Town Lake Vision, and the Rio Salado Growth Area. The project narrative details how the plan fits with each component.
Public Outreach and Project Exposure
While the overall South Pier master plan and its components have been generally positively received, they have not been without controversy. Most notably, even though Phase 1 has an agreement in place for the developer to make a $10M contribution to Tempe’s affordable housing program, a group calling itself Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy had initiated a petition drive last year for a referendum to overturn the project’s approval.
The group’s grievance was the project did not include any affordable-designated units in the development, itself. Tempe filed a lawsuit to throw out CASE’s request. The Maricopa County Superior Court ruled against both Tempe and CASE over different components of the case. Both parties appealed, but CASE ultimately withdrew its petition, allowing the project to proceed.
As part of the process for Phase 2, the developer has tentative plans to hold a neighborhood meeting in August and will possibly schedule additional meetings for October.
South Pier Tempe Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of McBride Cohen Management Group LLC and is the project developer. DAVIS is the design firm. Landscape planning is by Dig Studio, and Hydrometrics, Inc. is the civil engineer. The project is represented by Gammage & Burnham PLC.
