Sixth Street Park Expansion Opens Monday

Tempe, AZ – The sight and sounds of kids playing and people walking their dogs is common in the 2-acre grassy area between City Hall and the Brickyard development. Known as Sixth Street Park, the space is a grassy oasis in the heart of a busy urban area with new high rises, brick sidewalks and paved streets.

The park expansion is yet another facet of the vision of “Sustainable Tempe.” Land in Tempe is limited and valuable, and the City Council has made it a priority to ensure that planners include green space, scenic vistas and open pathways for people to enjoy.

Originally adjacent to an 80-space asphalt parking lot west of City Hall, the park was identified as an opportunity to create additional attractive areas enticing to pedestrians. The study by Project for Open Spaces, with input from Tempe residents, was completed in 2008. It gave some specific guidelines to assist staff and Councilmembers in continuing to build an inviting, connected, sustainable community.

Key concepts for success in the Open Space Study include designing for uses most desired by residents, creating a critical mass of spaces that attract people and cluster activities that can generate a dynamic place for many people at different times of the day.

Tempe’s desire to implement that plan, as well as the desire to create more parking in the downtown area to accommodate current and future visitors, sparked the vision for the expansion of Sixth Street Park. The street level parking lot was cleared and a new parking garage with more than 400 spaces and retail and restaurant space was built.

“Residents, Council and staff have worked together to plan for retaining open spaces and making connections between those open spaces to keep our entire community an inviting place,” said Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman. “Residents, visitors, students and employees who work in Tempe all need places to relax, to enjoy themselves, and get out in the open air.”

The first phase of the park is used often by the 120 students at the Phoenix Metro Islamic School for sports and recess. Condominium owners in the Brickyard and other downtown developments use the park as a place to run their dogs. It’s been used for Tempe Empty Bowls to raise money for the hungry and by the Tempe Festival of the Arts as a picnic and entertainment area.

The expanded park has replaced more than 3 acres of asphalt with open space: grass, plazas, trees and art in the heart of the Downtown Tempe Mill Avenue District. It features a curvilinear great walk with patterned brickwork, a lawn area, a shade trellis which doubles as a band shell, and an artistic sundial.

As retail ventures move into the parking structure, casual activities such as lawn bowling or large chess games could be added into the grassy area and concerts could be scheduled.

The park was built by McCarthy Construction and designed by landscape architect Vollmer Associates with concept design by City Architect Mark Vinson.

At 9 a.m. on Monday, June 22, the City of Tempe will officially open the second phase of Sixth Street Park, located between Fifth and Sixth Street between Forest Street and City Hall

Since Sixth Street Park is often used for sports like soccer, softball and touch football, the Tempe City Council would like to invite people to the ‘first pitch for the park.’ People are invited to bring their friendly dogs.

Source: City of Tempe

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