Council takes first public hearing on proposed six‑story U‑Haul self‑storage at Tempe Town Lake site

The Tempe City Council held a first public hearing on Feb. 18 to introduce a planned area development (PAD) overlay and development plan review for a proposed self‑storage redevelopment at 500 North Scottsdale Road, immediately south of Loop 202 and near Tempe Town Lake.

Applicant representatives told the council the site has hosted a self‑storage facility since 1985 and that recent changes in surrounding development and demand prompted a new proposal. The applicant said they had scaled the project back from an earlier 93‑foot design to an 85‑foot, six‑story building following staff and Development Review Commission recommendations. The site layout will be set back about 127 feet from Scottsdale Road, and the applicant said they plan to consolidate two driveways into a single access point and locate rental trucks interior to the site.

Bridal Allison, the applicant representative recorded on the transcript, described the parcel as constrained and said that horizontal redevelopment options are limited, making vertical redevelopment necessary. Allison said the applicant and staff had negotiated façade colors, landscaping and site setbacks; the applicant also noted the proposed truck rental would be limited to nine vehicles and that those vehicles would be stored inside the site and rented by appointment.

No final vote occurred. Staff and the Development Review Commission recommended the PAD overlay and development-plan review meet Tempe standards, and the council’s second and final public hearing on the item is scheduled for March 6, 2025. Council members did not record substantive public testimony for this item during the Feb. 18 public‑hearing portion of the meeting.