Mayor Corey Woods gave Tempe’s annual State of the City address Friday. He highlighted the recent launch of a park rangers program and the upcoming launch of a Real Time Operations Center, which will use GPS data and other technology to improve the city’s response to emergencies.
He also spoke about the public’s participation in the city’s general plan and upcoming election.
Before his speech, Woods talked about one of the biggest issues that continues to challenge the city and region — affordable housing.
“The first thing that pops to my mind is the affordability crisis. I mean, that's been a challenge not just simply in Tempe but everywhere. The cost of everything is just going up and interest rates are now finally over the last four to six weeks beginning to come down a little bit, but obviously they had topped out over 8% in the last few months," he said.
Woods said it is important to make efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing.
The mayor said that although Tempe cannot extend its city limits, there’s still plenty of opportunity for growth.
"Our city also continues to defy conventional wisdom so for the 20-plus years I've lived here, people say that Tempe is landlocked. There's no room left to grow. There’s no space left to develop. I, as your mayor, respectfully disagree," he said.
Like many cities, Tempe continues to face housing issues. And Woods called the state’s repeal of a tax on rental housing a crisis that will cost the city $20 million annually.
