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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Tempe City Council and DRC Joint Meeting – November 3, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, November 3, 2026

BodyTempe, Arizona

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, November 3, 2026

StatusNEW · FILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:02:19

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Good afternoon.

0:00

Welcome to the Tempe City Council and Tempe Development Review Commission joint meeting.

0:06

Council meetings can be watched in real time via Cox Cable Channel 11 and at Temp.gov slash Tempe11.

0:11

Members of the public may also attend the meeting virtually through Microsoft Teams.

0:15

Just as a note here, we're having a little bit of technical difficulty with our audio video uh equipment.

0:20

So uh if you are one of the council members online and you need to ask a question, uh just feel free to text me because I know you have my number.

0:29

Uh and so feel free to send me a note that I can recognize you and then you can offer any kind of comments or questions.

0:34

Also, if you are one of the commissioners online as well and you have a question, uh, because of the technical difficulties, you can text me if you have my number or text someone else on the commission.

0:44

We'll make sure to recognize you as well so you can be heard for your comments and or questions.

0:49

Just as a note here, too, before we do introductions, want to note that uh Councilmember uh Keating is online.

0:56

Uh Councilmember Garland is also online.

0:59

Uh Commissioner Richter is online.

1:02

Uh, I know our chair uh Johnson is running a little bit late, but we'll be here as well.

1:07

And Commissioner Wagner's online as well.

1:09

So just wanted to make sure to uh get kind of a proper head count for those sitting here in the audience and for those watching this meeting at home either now or later.

1:17

With that said, then we'll go into item number two, which is a welcome by myself and some introductions here.

1:23

I think the best way we can do this is just to go around the table in order, and I'll just uh go ahead and start.

1:29

Dr.

1:29

Redman, let's see if we can start with you, and we'll kind of go around and introduce ourselves and make sure to please use your microphones.

Speaker 2

1:38

I'm Chuck Redman, uh, longtime resident of Tempe and retired from ASU.

1:43

Thank

Unassigned speaker

1:44

you.

Speaker 3

1:52

I've been a resident of Tempe for over 30 years.

Speaker 4

2:00

I'm Commission Vice Chair, Michelle Schwartz.

Speaker 1

2:04

Cory Woods, Mayor.

Speaker 5

2:06

Arlene Chin, Vice Mayor.

2:09

Nikki Amberg, Councilmember.

2:13

Brooke St.

2:14

George, Councilmember.

Speaker 6

2:16

Bobby Nichols, Councilmember.

Unassigned speaker

2:18

Good

Speaker 5

2:18

afternoon.

2:19

Rosen Chausty, City Manager.

Unassigned speaker

2:22

Good

Speaker 7

2:22

afternoon, Eric Anderson, City Attorney.

Speaker 5

2:26

Carrot Rostias, City Clerk, and Mayor.

Speaker 1

2:31

Okay, wonderful.

2:32

Okay, so our chair from the uh commission is also joined as well.

2:35

So once again, thank you each and every one of you for being here this afternoon.

2:39

All right, so we're gonna go on then to item number three, which is uh presentation and discussion items.

2:44

First up, item three A, video presentation of approved development projects.

Unassigned speaker

2:48

And

Speaker 1

2:49

I'm assuming I'm gonna look right here to Ryan Lebake and Jake Jacob Payne for that presentation.

2:53

So I'll turn it over to

Unassigned speaker

2:54

you.

Speaker 8

2:55

Thank you, Mayor.

2:55

Uh, first off, thank you, Mayor City Council and Development Review Commission members.

2:59

Uh, we just have a quick

Unassigned speaker

3:00

uh

Speaker 8

3:01

less than three minute video that wanted to show you all some recent past few years of development projects that have either gone through the process one way or another, either through uh city council and our DRC and would like to just showcase.

Speaker 1

6:10

Let you continue.

Speaker 8

6:12

Thank you.

6:12

And a quick special thanks to Diana Kamensky and the planning staff for putting that together and Jason Wolf and the media for showcasing the video.

6:23

Now we'll move to item three B, which is uh the draft affordable housing development bonus program update.

6:31

And I want to introduce uh Jacob Payne here with me, principal planner with the planning division who will co-host this presentation.

6:40

So just frame a little briefly here.

6:43

We've got the update to the affordable housing bonus program.

6:47

This was a concerted effort, uh, when we last met with you all at a joint meeting back in October.

6:55

Uh, some of the goals and efforts in that um effort was to go over specifically putting together a draft affordable housing bonus program, specific to bonus density, and specific to the affordable housing components and desired for the city.

7:11

Next slide.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████████67%

Zoning and Land Use█████8%

Procedural█████7%

Community Engagement███5%

Code Enforcement███5%

Public Engagement██3%

Housing█2%

Economic Development█2%

Technology and Innovation█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Tempe City Council and DRC Joint Meeting – November 3, 2026

The Tempe City Council and Development Review Commission (DRC) held a joint meeting on November 3, 2026. The primary agenda item was an update on the draft Affordable Housing Development Bonus Program. Staff recommended not moving forward with the program due to significant opposition from both the public and the development community, and the council and commission reached a consensus to support this recommendation and explore alternative affordable housing strategies.

Discussion Items

Video Presentation of Approved Development Projects

Staff presented a short video showcasing development projects approved in the past few years.

Affordable Housing Development Bonus Program Update

Principal Planner Jacob Payne and Development Services Manager Ryan Lebak presented the program, developed over the past year following council direction in May 2025.
Background: The presentation highlighted that 51% of Tempe renters and 23% of homeowners are cost-burdened (spending over 30% of income on housing). State law prohibits inclusionary zoning but allows voluntary incentive programs.
Program Mechanics: The proposed voluntary citywide overlay would allow developers to exceed base zoning density up to General Plan density limits in exchange for designating a percentage of units as affordable. Affordability tiers were 50%, 65%, or 80% of Area Median Income (AMI), with affordability guaranteed by a 30-year covenant. Bonuses included increased height and reduced parking requirements.
Public Feedback: Two public meetings and an online survey (210 responses) were conducted. While 58% of respondents supported creating more affordable housing, 56% opposed this specific draft program. Residents expressed desires for more guardrails, public hearings, affordability terms longer than 30 years, and stronger compliance assurances.
Developer Feedback: The city partnered with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to survey developers. Feedback indicated strong skepticism that the density and height bonuses compensated for the lost income from the 30-year covenant. Developers suggested focusing on workforce housing (80-120% AMI) instead of lower-income units, requested fewer regulations, and emphasized the need for certainty and expedited processes.
Council and Commission Discussion:
- Mayor Corey Woods strongly supported the staff recommendation, noting the program lacked a constituency, with both residents and developers opposed. He challenged the development community to be better partners and cautioned residents against blocking affordable housing, referencing the 2024 bond election where 69% of voters approved $32 million for affordable housing.
- Councilmember Bobby Nichols requested updated statistics on cost-burdened households and noted the topic would be taken up by the upcoming tenants and rental properties subcommittee.
- Councilmember Nikki Amberg noted the unique situation of uniting residents and developers in opposition. She questioned how alternative programs (fee reductions, adaptive reuse) would overcome similar hurdles related to affordability terms and community opposition.
- Commissioner Lloyd explored the state-mandated adaptive reuse program, noting no applicants have come forward, and discussed addressing gaps such as parking requirements.
- Commissioner Miller noted developers did not provide specific alternative incentive thresholds, as their proformas are treated as proprietary.
- Commissioner Young inquired about the number and type of developer respondents and suggested the city actively recruit affordable housing developers from outside the region.

Key Outcomes

Consensus to Terminate Program: The council and DRC reached consensus to accept the staff recommendation not to move forward with the Affordable Housing Development Bonus Program in its current form.
Alternative Strategies: Staff will explore other methods to increase affordable housing, including updates to the Affordable Housing Fee Reduction program (expanding citywide eligibility), modifications to the state-mandated Adaptive Reuse program (to address parking barriers), and strengthening partnerships with the Tempe Coalition for Affordable Housing.
Future Meeting Topics: Commissioners and council members proposed future agenda items, including a review of use permits for front yard parking (Commissioner Spears), a discussion on proactive vs. reactive code enforcement (Commissioner Miller), and an updated presentation on housing cost burden statistics (Councilmember Nichols).
The next scheduled joint meeting is Monday, May 24, 2027.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. Welcome to the Tempe City Council and Tempe Development Review Commission joint meeting. Council meetings can be watched in real time via Cox Cable Channel 11 and at Temp.gov slash Tempe11. Members of the public may also attend the meeting virtually through Microsoft Teams. Just as a note here, we're having a little bit of technical difficulty with our audio video uh equipment. So uh if you are one of the council members online and you need to ask a question, uh just feel free to text me because I know you have my number. Uh and so feel free to send me a note that I can recognize you and then you can offer any kind of comments or questions. Also, if you are one of the commissioners online as well and you have a question, uh, because of the technical difficulties, you can text me if you have my number or text someone else on the commission. We'll make sure to recognize you as well so you can be heard for your comments and or questions. Just as a note here, too, before we do introductions, want to note that uh Councilmember uh Keating is online. Uh Councilmember Garland is also online. Uh Commissioner Richter is online. Uh, I know our chair uh Johnson is running a little bit late, but we'll be here as well. And Commissioner Wagner's online as well. So just wanted to make sure to uh get kind of a proper head count for those sitting here in the audience and for those watching this meeting at home either now or later. With that said, then we'll go into item number two, which is a welcome by myself and some introductions here. I think the best way we can do this is just to go around the table in order, and I'll just uh go ahead and start. Dr. Redman, let's see if we can start with you, and we'll kind of go around and introduce ourselves and make sure to please use your microphones. I'm Chuck Redman, uh, longtime resident of Tempe and retired from ASU. Thank you. I've been a resident of Tempe for over 30 years. I'm Commission Vice Chair, Michelle Schwartz. Cory Woods, Mayor. Arlene Chin, Vice Mayor. Nikki Amberg, Councilmember. Brooke St. George, Councilmember. Bobby Nichols, Councilmember. Good afternoon. Rosen Chausty, City Manager. Good afternoon, Eric Anderson, City Attorney. Carrot Rostias, City Clerk, and Mayor. Okay, wonderful. Okay, so our chair from the uh commission is also joined as well. So once again, thank you each and every one of you for being here this afternoon. All right, so we're gonna go on then to item number three, which is uh presentation and discussion items. First up, item three A, video presentation of approved development projects. And I'm assuming I'm gonna look right here to Ryan Lebake and Jake Jacob Payne for that presentation. So I'll turn it over to you. Thank you, Mayor. Uh, first off, thank you, Mayor City Council and Development Review Commission members. Uh, we just have a quick uh less than three minute video that wanted to show you all some recent past few years of development projects that have either gone through the process one way or another, either through uh city council and our DRC and would like to just showcase.

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