TEMPE, Ariz. — The Tempe City Council voted earlier this week to approve redevelopment plans for the Coca-Cola manufacturing facility near Elliot Road and Interstate 10.
The project entails the construction of 125,000 square-feet of new storage space, 62,000 square-feet of new manufacturing space, landscaping improvements and raising the maximum building height to 160 feet.
"The existing buildings are not meeting current industry needs and the proposed scope of work would remove outdated buildings to reconfigure the property with new truck and equipment storage, reconfigured parking and landscape, and a new manufacturing facility added to the existing office and warehouse structures," planning documents state.
A certificate of occupancy was first issued for the Coca-Cola bottling plant in 1981. Records show the facility currently serves as one of the largest manufacturers of Coca-Cola products in the country.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
