Miles SmithThe City of Tempe, Arizona is asking voters in November to approve the issuance and eventual sale of $581.5 million in bonds to pay for affordable housing, preservation of historic buildings and improvements to roadways and public safety.
The ballot will include three questions. Voters are being asked to approve:
- $301 million for fire, police, roadway, pedestrian infrastructure, and storm drain projects. Improvements would include renovating police and fire stations to help improve response times and service delivery. In addition, Tempe says that nearly 600 miles of streets in the city are rated fair to poor. The money would speed up the enhancement of every street in the city by four years as opposed to 11 to 15 years without the funding, the city says.
- $248.5 million for parks, historic preservation, and municipal infrastructure projects. Funding would also be used to enhance existing parks, renovate playgrounds, and improve Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance in public spaces and facilities. This would also allow the city to preserve historic structures, maintain and improve desert preserves including Hayden Butte and Loma Del Rio and provide funds to restore historic Double Butte Cemetery.
- $32 million to increase the affordable housing supply in Tempe. Projects include renovating city-owned housing to create additional housing units, repurposing additional available buildings into rental units and potentially acquiring and developing land. If approved, the city would issue an $8 million affordable-housing bond over four consecutive years beginning with the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The bond measure will be on the Nov. 5 ballot.
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