Gravity Coffee and a Take 5 Oil Change business are planned on the northwest corner of Recker and McKellips roads in Mesa, which has been vacant since a building was demolished in about 2007.
The landscaping and look of the 1-acre retail and commercial development were discussed at the Feb. 14 meeting of the Mesa Design Review Board.
It is the third Gravity Coffee business seen by the board in the last month. At the board’s Jan. 10 meeting there were sites east of Lindsay Road on the south side of McKellips Road, and north of McKellips Road and west of Center Street.
“A month ago we had a design review session for two other Gravity locations, so we — staff — worked with the architect to make some changes to the overall design and we’ll present those this evening,” Staff Planner Sean Pesek said Feb. 14. “So last time I think there were some concerns with the lack of warmth so what the architect did is swap the gray stucco with a metal panel — a six-inch width for the panels. It’s a wood-look so it’s not actually wood but it has a cedar color to it. The black metal seam roof will remain.”
The Take 5 Oil Change is to be constructed directly east with a concrete veneer base and cream-colored stucco transitioning to a red stucco where the sign will be. Glass doors will be along the front, he said.
The site at McKellips and Recker was previously used as a gas station, Pesek said.
Tim Rasnake of Archicon Architecture & Interiors LC is the applicant. KFH Recker & McKellips LLC is the owner.
Two new single-story buildings of approximately 1,436 square feet, for the oil-change use; and 796 square feet with a maximum building height of 21 feet are planned, according to a written project narrative from Archicon Architecture & Interiors.
“The Take 5 Oil Change building is an automotive service facility for oil changes,” it states. “The Gravity (Coffee) building is for a beverage service drive-thru restaurant use. There is no indoor public area or outdoor public dining area. This is a drive-thru use only.”
The site, vacant since approximately 2007, will be accessed from an existing driveway on McKellips through a common access drive and an existing driveway on Recker. The Recker Road driveway will be improved as required to meet current city of Mesa standards, it states.
Washington-based Gravity Coffee also has a plans for sites at the southeast corner of Power and Baseline roads and at 2129 W. Southern Ave. in Mesa, according to gravitycoffee.com.
It appears to be the first Mesa location of Take 5 Oil Change, owned by Driven Brands in Charlotte, North Carolina, according totake5.com/locations.
The all-volunteer Mesa Design Review Board is unique in that its composition is set by the zoning ordinance to include two architects; two from other design professions such as landscape architecture, engineering, urban planning, interior design or other design-related background; one contractor or developer; and two residents, according to the city’s website.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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