Tempe urged to start planning for huge ASU cultural, athletic district
http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe...huge-asu-cultural-athletic-district.html
By Dianna M. Náñez
The Republic | azcentral.com
Mon Mar 4, 2013 10:42 AM
Arizona State University’s 330-acre Athletics Facilities District could take 20 years or more to build, but former U.S. Congressman Harry Mitchell emphasized this week that Tempe must plan now for the immense infrastructure needed to support the massive development.
Steve Nielsen, ASU assistant vice president for real-estate development, speaking Tuesday to the Mayor’s Community Roundtable Committee, updated Tempe business owners and residents who serve on the committee on the university’s plans for the development.
The update drew questions about the type of development that would be built at the prime site near Town Lake and downtown Tempe.
Nielsen reassured the committee that ASU is not seeking development that would compete with Mill Avenue or with Tempe Marketplace.
“Our goal is … how do we connect downtown (Tempe) with Tempe Marketplace,” he said.
ASU considered how to best use “land for the benefit of Tempe and ASU,” he said.
Nielsen said ASU’s vision includes building arts-and-culture facilities, amateur-athletic facilities and commercial-office space. The university’s plans center on developing enough fee-generating office, retail and residential space to pay for the renovation of Sun Devil Stadium and for other new state-of-the art sports facilities.
The sprawling development, which Nielsen said is three times the size of downtown Tempe, would encompass vacant land near Town Lake and wipe out existing facilities that include Packard Stadium, Karsten Golf Course and a large parking lot immediately south of the lake.
ASU officials have said the golf course would be rebuilt. Nielsen said that ASU is in discussions with Phoenix to move the baseball team to Phoenix Municipal Stadium, which is north of Tempe Town Lake and near the light-rail line.
Tempe resident Bobbie Cassano, a member of the mayor’s advisory group and a longtime advocate for school and city partnerships, asked whether Tempe officials have considered the development’s impact on existing infrastructure.
“How do we prepare for the future?” she said.
Harry Mitchell, a member of the advisory group, who served as Tempe mayor for 16 years before winningstate legislative and congressional seats, stressed that Tempe must develop a plan now if it wants to ensure sufficient infrastructure, such as sewer and water lines, to support the sprawling new development. Mitchell is Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell’s father.
The junior Mitchell assured the group that ASU is keeping Tempe in the loop on development plans. He added that that he meets regularly with ASU President Michael Crow.
“We are a part of the team,” Mitchell said.
Harry Mitchell asked whether ASU would replace the parking that it demolishes as part of the new development. Nielsen said ASU’s plans call for building “more parking than there is today.”
The development is decades from completion, Nielsen said, “but under Dr. Crow, he wants it all done immediately.”
The university’s goal is to “use our (public) facilities as an economic driver.”
Nielsen has said that ASU expects to select a developer for the master plan by the end of this month.
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