The Cottonwood Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a design review for a proposed 24-hour Circle K gas station and convenience store to be located on a 1.52-acre commercial parcel at 1150 E. State Route 89A during its May 19 meeting.
According to city documents, the project would consist of a 5,200-square-foot cinderblock building on the north side of the property and a 4,704-square-foot service canopy with six fuel pumps, both in the usual Circle K tan, gray and red paint scheme, with 21 parking spaces along the south and eastsides of the building and an outdoor seating area overlooking the dry wash to the northwest of the property.
The height of the building would be 23 feet, 8 inches, while the height of the canopy would be 18 feet, 6 inches. The property has an existing drive on 12th Street that planning documents indicate would be modified as a right-in, right-out access point, as required by the city engineer to prevent traffic disruption on adjacent roads.
The project will also require Arizona Department of Transportation approval for both entries due to the parcel’s proximity to the ADOT-owned intersection, which has not yet been received.
Chairwoman Lindsay Masten said that she thought the station would be ina great location but had concerns about how the parking spaces could affect traffic.
“They might be able to shave off a couple of parking spaces to add a little more radius out of that porkchop on12th and I believe that would be a very good thing to do,” Masten said.
Community Development Department Senior Planner Kristina Hayden said that the project would require 17 parking spaces plus an additional space for every two employees, and that the city had yet to receive an additional letter regarding the store’s anticipated staffing numbers.
“You’ve got 12 parking spaces under that canopy because that’s what happens, they pull up to fill up with gas and before they even start pumping they walk into the store to buy a burrito or a soda or whatever,” Vice Chairman Randy Garrison said. “So you’ve got 12 spaces right there on the canopy. So in my mind, reducing three or four to fix this whole truck issue — I wouldn’t have a problem at all making a stipulation to do that.”
The commission approved the design review unanimously with the stipulation that the applicant would submit an amended application with a reduced number of parking spaces.
