Tempe Maker District Commercial Landscaping

Old industrial bones, new attention

Also known as: Maker District, Broadway Innovation Hub

They make doors, honey and orange juice here. We make the weeds disappear.

The city describes the district as more than 600 acres, roughly a square mile, of commercial, industrial and manufacturing uses, all inside an Opportunity Zone. Tempe names businesses such as the MAC6 manufacturing co-working space, the United Dairymen of Arizona processing plant and Crockett Honey, along with makers of doors and orange juice. In 2019 the City Council approved land-use changes to allow mixed-use and residential projects along Priest, Broadway and Southern, so homes and shops may end up next door to the factories.

Most sites here were built decades ago, and their landscapes show it: narrow beds along the street, gravel lots that grow weeds faster than parts, and big trees crowding power lines or rooflines. We focus on safety and upkeep first. That means clearing weeds and debris along fences and docks, pruning trees off buildings and signs, and fixing the irrigation that still works instead of watering the parking lot.

Tempe has published design guidelines for the district covering building materials, signage, public art and adaptive reuse, and the city reports industrial vacancy here at 11 percent versus 5 percent citywide. Owners trying to land a tenant can use a cleaner, greener frontage. We can convert unused grass to desert landscape, add drip to bare strips, remove broken concrete and refresh entries. Think of it as a tune-up for the building, minus the grease. As new mixed-use and residential projects arrive under the 2019 land-use changes, we can also care for courtyards and common areas alongside the industrial neighbors.