Tempe Entertainment District referendum questions confirmed for May 16 ballot

Tempe residents will be able to vote on the Tempe Entertainment District during the city’s May 16, 2023 Special Election, now that the Maricopa County Recorder and Tempe City Clerk certified on Friday that the required number of valid petition signatures were submitted for each of the three referendum items.

Bluebird Development collected more than the needed minimum of 2,134 petition signatures for each of three questions to refer the project to the ballot. If voters approve, the 46-acre project would be built with a planned Arizona Coyotes hockey arena, hotels, multi-family residential, retail and more. The developer will use largely private funding to build the 4 million-square-foot development and, according to the agreement, will pay Tempe $50.3 million for the land. This includes $40 million in non-refundable cash up-front before environmental remediation of the land. Project details are available at tempe.gov/TempeEntertainmentDistrict.

Pro/Con arguments for inclusion in the publicity pamphlet mailed to Tempe voters will be accepted beginning Jan. 13, and they must be submitted to the Tempe City Clerk by 5 p.m. on Feb. 15. Details will be posted to tempe.gov/election.

Tempe residents who wish to vote in the referendum must be registered to vote by April 17.  Eligibility requirements may be found here. Register to vote here. All registered Tempe voters will receive a ballot by mail.

Learn more

Stay green this holiday season

Does your household have extra waste around the holidays? Whether it’s Christmas trees, cooking oils or cardboard boxes, the City of Tempe offers multiple options for disposing of your unwanted items responsibly. 

More tips

Light the night - safely

You can celebrate New Year’s Eve with the pops and bangs of fireworks, but it might be kinder to sparkle the night away. Legal consumer fireworks can be used through Jan. 3. Ring in the New Year safey and remember those who live around you. Safety tips and rules. 

Ring in the New Year in Tempe

There are lots of great places to ring in the New Year. Here are a few parties for you to consider. No matter what your choice, please celebrate safely - don't drink and drive. 

Tempe NYE Bar Crawl
Why limit your party to one place when you can celebrate in 10? Pick up a pass and a map to get free and discounted food and beverages throughout downtown Tempe. Your pass includes:
Varsity Tavern * Tacos Calafia * CASA * Rodeo Ranch * 414 Pub & Pizza * Sunbar * Glow * Mill Ave Cue Club * Mesquite * Spinelli's * Detroit Coney Grill

Westin Tempe Hotel - NYElectric
Dress up for a ballroom and rooftop celebration at the Westin Hotel. Celebrate with two DJs, three spaces for mingling, free appetizers and party favors for the evening and prepaid drinks. Watch the massive LED wall on the main stage for an amazing countdown. Book a room and take the elevator home. 

Even more downtown Tempe parties!
Our whole downtown will be a 2023 party zone! Get details on parties at Fat Tuesday, Canopy Hotel, Culinary Dropout and more.

Yucca Tap Room
Your choice: hit up an'80s Dance Party or a concert with Left Alone and five other bands. 

Check out the Briefly section at the bottom of this newsletter for events at Tempe Improv, Marquee Theatre and other venues.

Heading out? Freeze the Keys this New Year's Eve

Tempe and Valley Metro are making it easy for people to travel safely on New Year’s Eve with light rail and streetcar service extended until 2 a.m. In addition, Coors Light Free Rides will allow people to ride free on all Valley Metro bus, rail and Paratransit services beginning at 7 p.m. 

Driving under the influence doesn’t pay. The average DUI costs $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, court costs, lost time at work, higher insurance rates and more. Have a plan this holiday season.

Get the details

A helping holiday hand for 20 families

Real estate entrepreneur Michael Pollack made it the best holiday ever for 20 families this year. He donated $20,000 to provide each family a $1,000 shopping spree at a Tempe Target store.

The families, selected by Child Crisis Arizona, were able to buy groceries, toys, clothes or anything else they needed. The 20 families selected are typically working several jobs to make ends meet and are living well below the poverty line. 

Child Crisis Arizona works to provide children and youth in Arizona a safe environment, free from abuse and neglect, by creating strong and successful families. To make a donation to Child Crisis Arizona visit ChildCrisisAZ.org or call 480-304-9471.

Warm up at community centers, help those in need

As temperatures continue to dip, the City of Tempe encourages those in need to visit community centers during business hours for respite from the cold and rain. 

Anyone in need can visit seven facilities citywide, including multi-generational centers, senior centers and the Tempe Public Library. These facilities are always open to visitors but can play a particularly important role during the winter and summer providing relief from the cold and heat. Find locations and hours of operation: tempe.gov/WinterWellness.

The city operates the CARE & HOPE Line to assist anyone in crisis or experiencing homelessness. Call 480-350-8004 to get help for someone in need or for yourself. Arizona 2-1-1 can connect anyone with resources such as shelter and housing, utility assistance and food help. Dial 211 to get help 24/7. 

Residents who are able to give help can find a list of nonprofits serving Tempe at tempe.gov/nonprofits.

Learn more

Winter Coat Drive

Do you have winter coats you no longer need? Spread some warmth this season and donate them to the city’s HOPE team for unsheltered individuals and families being served by our outreach specialists. New and gently used coats for men, women and children, in all sizes, are greatly appreciated. Contact [email protected] to make arrangements for a donation.

Thousands of Arizona State University graduates celebrated with balloons and fireworks at their degree ceremonies on Monday, Dec. 12.  

More than 11,000 ASU students graduated this fall, including nearly 6,000 ASU Online students. About two-thirds of the total were undergraduates and the rest were graduate students. More than 2,000 students earned engineering degrees.

Shine your light

Hanukkah might be over, but we're still shining our lights! Downtown Tempe Authority and ASU Chabad hosted the first community menorah lighting ceremony in Sixth Street Park last Monday. Watch some highlights from the festivities. 

Tempe got busy this year — busy reading!
More than 720,000 items were checked out from the Tempe Public Library in 2022. Now, the library is sharing a list of the items it couldn't keep on the shelves. Check out the top five most checked out and downloaded items including fiction, nonfiction, digital items and DVDs. See if your favorites made the list, or find titles to add to your brand new 2023 reading list. Don't have a card? Here's how to get one. 

See the list

Good social media can help any business prosper. Tempe entrepreneurs can get free social media training at a Tempe Biz HUUB Training Lab taking place from noon to 2 p.m. on Jan. 10 and 17. 

After you complete the virtual course, you will be awarded one free hour of tactical business support with a HUUB Advisor. Choose free one-on-one time with an accountant, a social media expert, human resources specialists - whatever you need to make your business fly! 

If you haven't set up your Tempe Biz HUUB account yet, this is the perfect time. Tempe Biz HUUB is a free, hyper-local platform to help Tempe small businesses navigate mini-courses, tap into experts, meet other local business owners and find grants to move your business forward. Get started.

Learn more and register

Renew your business licenses

The beginning of the year is a great time to set business goals and get organized for a successful year. That includes renewing your operational licenses. Details:  State license renewals * Tempe license renewals

Like working with kids?

Tempe Public Library and Kid Zone have positions open for people who love working with kids.

There are also positions open with Tempe Police, Tempe Fire Medical Rescue, Tempe Municipal Court and a variety of other departments. The City of Tempe has openings for every skill level and nearly every kind of occupation from arts to water quality. Part-time and full-time jobs are available. See them all at tempe.gov/jobs. 

Apply today

Stay healthy and help hospitals shorten wait times

The triple threat of respiratory illnesses - flu, RSV and COVID19 - is putting a strain on area hospitals, which can lead to long wait times in emergency rooms. You can stay healthy and help shorten wait times. Here's how:

- If you do not require emergency care, consider discussing your symptoms with your primary care provider, having a telemedicine visit or going to an urgent care.

- Stay home when you are sick to prevent the spread of viral illness.

- Wear a mask to help protect you and those around you from getting any respiratory virus

- Get vaccinated for flu, COVID-19 and other vaccine-preventable illnesses.

- Read more tips.