The Tempe City Council voted Thursday to reconsider its denial of ASU's plans for the University Town Center project at the corner of University Drive and Mill Avenue.
The motion passed 6-1, with Councilman Hugh Hallman voting against the reconsideration of the University's building plans.
The City Council will give ASU the opportunity to present new plans for the site at the Jan. 10 Council meeting.
Councilwoman Barbara Carter, who called for the motion to reconsider, said she wants to bring the issue back to the table.
"We face a great opportunity to have a quality development on one of the more important corners of Tempe," she said.
Mayor Neil Giuliano said there should be significant changes made to the project plans to sway his vote.
"I will not be convinced it is a worthy project if the plans come back without changes," he said.
Among the City Council concerns were the size of the proposed parking structure, designed to be seven stories high, and the lack of essential services, including a grocery store and a dry cleaners, in the plans.
Hallman said he is more concerned about the uses of the project than the actual design plans.
"We need to provide the nearby neighborhoods with the uses they sought to have, including a grocery store," he said.
Councilman Ben Arredondo said he believes there is still an opportunity to put a grocery store in the University Town Center project.
"I will always favor a grocery store at the corner of University and Mill," he said.
At the Nov.1 Council meeting, building plans presented by ASU were denied 5-2 by the Council.
At that time, the Council voiced its concerns over the changes ASU had made to building plans conceived in an earlier meeting between ASU developers and city staff.
According to ASU officials, the plans drawn up in the meeting with the city were later rejected by ASU President Lattie Coor, who asked for the revised plans later presented at the meeting.
Vice Mayor Leonard Copple reiterated that the Council was only committing to reconsider the project in January.
"If it comes back and we see the same plan, it will drown," he said.
Reach Dana Brody at dana5286@aol.com.
