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April 24, 2023
Tempe, AZ – Voters have options for submitting their completed ballots for the May 16 Special Election about the Tempe Entertainment District.
Pick one of these options and your vote will be counted in a timely manner:
- No later than May 9, place the ballot in the mail.
- No later than May 16, place in a secure Maricopa County drop box. Find one at locations.maricopa.vote.
- Before 7 p.m. on Election Day, go in-person to an official vote center. From May 8 through May 16, there will be one at the Tempe History Museum, 809 E. Southern Ave. Hours are weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Election Day, it is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Through Election Day, on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., drop off your completed ballot at Tempe City Hall, 31 E. Fifth St. Due to construction at City Hall, there are several free, 10-minute parking spots on the south side of Fifth Street. Residents can use those for quick ballot drop-offs. The entrance to City Hall is temporarily at the southeast corner of the pyramid. Follow the signs to the drop-off location.
For the Tempe History Museum option, it is easiest if voters bring the ballot they received in the mail. If you do not have your ballot, bring a form of acceptable identification, such as an Arizona driver’s license, a state-issued ID or a tribal ID. The address on the ID must match your voter registration address. If your ballot is damaged, request a replacement ballot in the mail by calling 602-506-1511 or email EVreq@risc.maricopa.gov by May 5. Voters also can request replacement ballots by visiting any open voting location (found at locations.maricopa.vote) until 7 p.m. Election Day, May 16.
The Tempe City Council approved in late 2022 the resolutions/ordinances for the development of the Tempe Entertainment District plan after two public hearings and months of negotiations, city due diligence and developer-hosted public meetings. Three aspects of the primarily privately funded proposal from Bluebird Development, the affiliate for the Meruelo Group and the Arizona Coyotes, were approved: a Zoning Map Amendment and a Planned Area Development (PAD) Overlay; a General Plan Amendment; and the Development and Disposition Agreement (DDA). These three aspects are what will go before voters in May.
Bluebird Development collected and submitted in December more than the needed petition signatures for each of three questions to refer the project to the ballot. If voters approve, the 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 development and will pay Tempe $50.3 million for the land.
Full details about the project are at tempe.gov/TempeEntertainmentDistrict. |
