A Whataburger restaurant with a drive-thru will be replacing a Mobile gas station and auto service center on the southeast corner of McKellips Road and Country Club Drive in Mesa.
Preliminary design for the building on 1 acre recently was discussed by the Mesa Design Review Board.
“I think this is a nice-looking building and it’s really going to do a lot of good in that area of town,” board member Jeanette Knudsen said at the March 8 meeting.
A new 2,959-square-foot building will be constructed with vehicle access off McKellips Road and Country Club Drive.
The landscape plan shows landscape yards along Country Club and McKellips, and also landscaped parking lot islands, Staff Planner Robert Mansolillo said at the meeting.
“The foundation base is being reduced to 10 feet and the landscaped yards are being reduced to zero feet and 2 feet respectively along the south and east property lines; those are being altered in the zoning case through a bonus intensity zone overlay rezone,” he said.
Kevin Zenk of Sustainable Engineering Group LLC is the applicant. T&B Holdings LLC is the owner.
“This is definitely an improvement from what’s existing. We are introducing something more of a contemporary architecture as well as really focusing on the screen wall designs to kind of supplement the palette of the main building,” Zenk said at the board meeting.
The request proposes a “raze and rebuild” of an existing 30-year-old-plus gas station and auto service shop that will be demolished and redeveloped for a new restaurant with a two-lane drive-thru, according to a written project narrative.
“The proposed project has a high-quality design and architectural character that will make this an enhancement to the existing development,” it states. “Building and drive-thru placement will be primarily on the east half of the lot while utilizing the west portion of the lot for parking, landscape and retention. The eastern half of the lot will be used for parking and access.”
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 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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