Mesa looking at changes to drive-thru business regulations

By Richard Dyer
Mail | Twitter: @RHDyer

Plans to require drive-thru or pick-up lanes for restaurants and other businesses to not be allowed within 100 feet of residential areas and other changes to city zoning documents will be discussed at a public meeting Sept. 6 at a Mesa library.

The meeting on proposed zoning text amendments regarding drive-thru facilities, pick-up window facilities and drive-up ATM/teller windows is 6:15-7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6 at Red Mountain Library, 635 N. Power Road in Mesa.

The Mesa City Council in early 2022 initiated a project to look at where drive-thrus are allowed, required processes and development standards, looking at nearby city’s regulations. Mesa staff explored and presented alternative concepts based on council and stakeholder feedback, Senior Planner Kellie Rorex said at an Aug. 23 study session of the Mesa Planning and Zoning Board.

The city looked at development standards, such as for screening of the drive-thru and shading for employees, and stacking requirements of vehicles in a lane. City staff propose requiring a 100-foot setback from a residential use or zoning district to the drive-thru or pick-up lane.

In the city of Mesa, drive-thrus are presently permitted by right in limited commercial, general commercial, planned employment park, light industrial and general industrial zoning districts; a conditional use permit is required to have a drive-thru in the downtown business 1 zoning district; and a special use permit is required in the neighborhood commercial, heavy industrial, downtown business 2 and mixed use zones, Rorex said.

“We are not proposing to ban drive-thrus; that has never been our recommendation. The proposed modifications will change the process for drive-thrus in the neighborhood commercial (district) to a (conditional use permit), which is formerly a special use permit; a CUP for the planned employment park, the light industrial and the general industrial districts and also the heavy industrial, which is also formerly a special use permit,” she said.

The purpose of the conditional use permit application process is to evaluate possible adverse impacts and to minimize them, where possible, through the imposition of specific conditions of approval. A special use permit is a discretionary permit issued by the zoning administrator or board of adjustment, according to the city’s zoning ordinance.

“The proposed changes are to allow zoning districts to be more compatible with the intent of the zoning district. So for example, the neighborhood commercial is supposed to be for a smaller scale, not-so-much auto-oriented uses, so that’s why we would require a conditional use permit,” Rorex said.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

rdyer@iniusa.org

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.