Good morning, Chandler. It's a holiday week, with the Fourth landing on Saturday.
- 🏘️ Chandler looks at "missing middle" housing. The city is studying duplexes, townhomes, and smaller homes to add options people can afford.
- 🎆 Fourth of July downtown. Live music, food, and a fireworks show Saturday night at Dr. A.J. Chandler Park.
- 🏭 Tech and Downtown Chandler. A brewery brunch, a watch party, and a run club fill the downtown week.
- 🏠 Property beat. A Fulton Ranch home sold for $1.5 million.
- 🏫 Hamilton's baseball coach retires. Mike Woods steps down after 10 state championships.
- ⚾ Around the Valley. The Diamondbacks host the Giants, and "Beauty and the Beast" plays Tempe.
The lead: Chandler looks at the "missing middle"
Chandler is starting to study "missing middle" housing, the category of homes the city has the least of and arguably the most demand for.
The basics:
"Missing middle" means the housing between a single-family house and a large apartment complex: duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and courtyard-style apartments.
Chandler is largely built out and bounded by freeways on three sides, so adding homes means building differently, not just building outward.
Early discussion points to downtown and the Southside Village area, with city land grants among the tools mentioned.
This is an early look by the city, not a vote.
The context is the Silicon Desert itself. Intel's Ocotillo campus and the Price Road Corridor brought tens of thousands of high-paying jobs, and home prices climbed alongside them. A city that can no longer sprawl has only a few levers left to keep homes within reach, and missing middle is one of them.
What to watch: how the city frames the idea, and whether downtown sites move first. Details.
The week ahead
The downtown Fourth of July plan is in its own section below. Here's the rest of the week:
- 🎬 Harkins Summer Movie Fun at Chandler Fashion Center. Eight kids movies over eight weeks, $8 for a digital season pass. Details.
- 🎸 Live music at Cork & Craft, Wednesday. Chad Wilson Bailey plays a set spanning six decades, July 1. Details.
- 🎤 Comedy at Mic Drop, Friday. Big Time Maca and Aaron Monte bring rap and standup July 3. Details.
- 🥬 Downtown Chandler Farmers Market, Saturday. Produce and artisan goods at Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, July 4. Details.
- 💼 Job Center at Downtown Library, Mondays. Free resume and job-search help, 10 a.m. to noon. Details.
Around Chandler
- 🏠 Property beat. A 2011-built home in the Fulton Ranch area recently sold for $1.5 million.
- 🎨 "Unlovable" opens at Vision Gallery. The downtown city gallery's open-call show is up now. Details.
🏭 Tech & Downtown Chandler
The downtown calendar leans into the holiday this week.
Chandler's All-American Bash, Saturday. Live music, yard games, and food vendors downtown, capped by a 15-minute fireworks show at 8:15 p.m. July 4. Details.
Fourth of July brunch at SanTan Brewing. The downtown brewery serves brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. A good slow start before the night's crowds. Details.
Celebrate and Create 250 Years Together, today. A city program tied to the America 250 commemoration, 11 a.m. at 5990 S. Val Vista Dr. Details.
Love Island watch party at The Uncommon, Tuesday. The downtown spot screens the show at 7 p.m. June 30. Details.
Run Club at QuartHaus, Wednesday. A group run out of downtown's QuartHaus, 7:30 p.m. July 1. Details.
From the schools
Hamilton's longtime baseball coach retires. Mike Woods is stepping down after a career at Hamilton High that included 10 state championships. Details.
COLT Day at Casteel, July 13. Casteel High runs student schedule pickup and parking passes ahead of the new year. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Chandler for, closest first.
"Beauty and the Beast" at ASU Gammage, Tempe. The Broadway staging plays Tuesday, June 30. A short drive up the 101 for a family night. Tickets.
Jinjer at Marquee Theatre, Tempe. The Ukrainian metal band plays Tuesday, June 30. Tickets.
Diamondbacks vs. Giants at Chase Field, Phoenix. The D-backs host San Francisco tonight, June 29. First pitch is 6:40 p.m., an easy weeknight out. Tickets.
Dance Gavin Dance at The Van Buren, Phoenix. The post-hardcore act plays downtown Phoenix Tuesday, June 30. Tickets.