Tempe council upholds DRC approval for East Valley shelter but requires city-approved security plan and outreach

Tempe City Council denied an appeal of the Development Review Commission’s approval for a Tempe Community Action Agency project on Apache Boulevard and modified that approval to require an approved security plan with a public-outreach component.

The council’s action preserves the DRC decision to permit an institution providing temporary housing at the Apache Boulevard site but attaches a condition that the owner/operator maintain a security plan meeting the standards in the city code (Chapter 26, Article 5) and that the security plan include a city-approved public outreach element. The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.

Why it matters: The decision clears the way for a multi-program TCAA facility—described by the agency as combining shelter, food pantry, case management and other services—while attempting to address neighborhood concerns about safety, property values and public notification. TCAA and its supporters said the center will provide wraparound services designed to shorten episodes of homelessness; opponents said the site is too close to residential streets and parks and questioned whether the small lot can support the proposed uses.

TCAA officials described the project and its aims. “This site will have space for seven human services programs on-site, of which shelter is one of those programs,” Deborah Arteaga, chief executive officer of Tempe Community Action Agency, told the council, outlining services that include a market-style food pantry, a commercial kitchen and housing navigation. TCAA’s shelter model is time-limited and oriented to rapid rehousing: Bob Brandstetter, senior manager for shelter services at TCAA, said clients are screened and receive housing-oriented case management and a 90-day program window in which staff help obtain documents, employment and housing supports.

Agency officials said the project brings outside funding and oversight: Arteaga told council members the site is paired with an approximately $8 million investment from the Arizona Department of Housing, the governor’s office and Maricopa County…