Join us on a tour and happy hour at Culdesac Tempe, the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S.

Culdesac Tempe is the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S.

Scheduled to open in Winter 2022, Culdesac Tempe is a $200+ million project with 700+ rental apartments, 44,000 square feet of amenities and retail, and more than 2 miles of bike and foot paths across 17 acres.

The Tempe project marks the nation’s first and only agreement between a city and a developer to build a neighborhood-scale community with zero residential parking. Residents will not have private cars or parking spaces, although the retail area will have parking for retail visitors and resident guests.

In typical developments, the parking lots often dictate the design, and without this constraint, Culdesac Tempe is able to offer a comprehensive retail experience for residents, including an on-site grocery store, restaurant, coworking space, coffee shop, bike shop, and more. Over half of the land area at Culdesac Tempe will be covered in landscaping, public courtyards, and greenery — an unheard-of ratio for urban development.

Retail

To bring this vision to life, Culdesac has curated a coalition of retailers. These partners will serve 1,000 car-free residents, as well as the broader Tempe and Phoenix Metro area, as Culdesac Tempe is both a community amenity and open to the public.

The Culdesac Tempe retail partners are:

• Cocina Chiwas, a local, family-owned restaurant inspired by Chihuahua, Mexico as the first-ever full-menu concept of the “Tacos Chiwas” brand.
• Firecreek Coffee, a Flagstaff-based artisan coffee shop who will open their first store in Tempe.
• Street Corner, a regional convenience and superette franchise, who will open the grocery store at Culdesac Tempe, their first store in Arizona.
• Archer’s Bikes, a local ebike shop opening its third location at Culdesac Tempe, offers Arizona’s largest selection of pedal and electric bikes as well as the top ebike service centers.

Culdesac is also excited to announce the first-ever Culdesac Small Business Grant, dedicated to supporting local minority-owned small businesses that demonstrate consistent and positive community involvement. They have awarded Cocina Chiwas this grant for the future restaurant at Culdesac Tempe.

Culdesac’s retail partners represent what is great about Arizona food & beverage, from the diversity of Mexican influence to regionally popular brands from Flagstaff and Sedona, to new residents of Arizona who are moving to the state to find opportunities for themselves and their families.

Mobility

While living car-free, residents at Culdesac will have a menu of alternative transportation options at their fingertips. Culdesac’s mobility partners include Valley Metro, Bird, Envoy, and Lyft. Through these mobility partnerships and other benefits, Culdesac is excited to announce that all Founding Residents will get access to $3,000 a year in mobility benefits, unlocking an ecosystem of options for car-free living.

As part of the mobility benefits, residents will have member-exclusive perks and pricing with Lyft Pink, discounted scooter rides on Bird scooters, an on-site fleet of EV carshare with Envoy, and unlimited light rail and bus rides on Valley Metro. These mobility options will be integrated seamlessly into the built environment of Culdesac Tempe. 

A resident heading to downtown Phoenix for dinner might grab their complimentary Valley Metro Platinum Pass to hop on the light rail. Meanwhile, a resident looking to take a weekend trip to Sedona will take advantage of an Envoy EV car parked conveniently in the parking lot. 

Culdesac is redefining how real estate developers can offer transportation options to their residents. The mobility innovations of the last decade, including carshare, rideshare, and scooter share, are now fully integrated into the built environment and resident experience of Culdesac Tempe.