If Tempe officials have their way, Sun Devil Stadium will no longer be on Stadium Drive by the time Fall semester begins.
Instead, the Tempe City Council would like to change the street's name to honor U.S. veterans.
The City Council first discussed creating such a memorial at a meeting Thursday evening, said Deputy Public Works Manager Carlos De Leon. And the council liked the idea so much, Tempe would like the renaming process completed before the first ASU football game of the 2004 season in August, he added.
Due to the short time frame for renaming the street, the new name will likely come from the city staff, De Leon said. One popular suggestion so far has been "Veteran's Memorial Way."
But while Stadium Drive's new name will ultimately be up to the City Council, community members are welcome to contact the Department of Public Works with suggestions for the Council to consider, De Leon said. Specific names will likely be discussed within two weeks.
The Department of Public Works has already begun making preparations for the name switch, researching whether any businesses will face address changes once Stadium Drive is renamed, De Leon said.
"It's a short street," he said. "There's really nothing on the street besides Sun Devil Stadium and Wells Fargo Arena."
Tempe is not sure whether either sports venue actually has an address on Stadium Drive, De Leon added. If they do not, the only projects for the city to complete will be changing street signs and printing new maps.
The council also requested that the city work a veteran's memorial into design plans for the Tempe Transit Center -- a bus depot and light rail platform at Fifth Street and College Avenue slated to open in December 2006.
The Transit Center is still in early stages of design, so that a memorial could take a variety of forms, De Leon said.
"[The memorial] can run the gambit from a reflection pool to a wall," he said.
Anyone with ideas for Stadium Drive's new name should e-mail suggestions to carlos_deleon@tempe.gov.
Reach the reporter at amanda.keim@asu.edu.
