7ideas   Empty shopping centers and plazas aren’t just eyesores. They’re los opportunities and revenue for our city. And, that revenue maintains the

quality of life Tempe residents want while keeping our property taxes low.
We need to turn these ugly reminders of what we’re
losing into neighborhood hubs: unique, vibrant
collections of the services, businesses and resources
your neighborhood needs. We need a mayor that will
make these a reality by better connecting strip center
owners to neighboring residents’ needs. This will bring
back quality and character to these wasted areas and
help them to thrive again.
One of the benefits of owning something is being able to do what you
want with it. And the fact remains that too many of Tempe’s commercial
real estate owners are content with empty store fronts. Our city needs
to provide the necessary motivation and resources to these owners to
get their spaces moving again. And we’re NOT talking tax breaks here.
We’re talking about things that will simply make doing business in Tempe
easy again like expedited permits and approvals with rebates on these
fees because we’ll get a lot more in the long term from the sales tax. We
need to convince local business owners to come to Tempe.
As mayor, Linda Spears will use her business knowledge and practical
experience to work with neighbors, property owners and local
businesses to transform under performing and vacant centers into
neighborhood hubs. And that’s an idea that matters.