A canopy and kiosk at a long-vacant gas station are to be demolished north of East McKellips Road and west of North Mesa Drive to allow the development of a Dunkin coffee shop.
The Mesa Board of Adjustment voted 4-0 on May 3 to approve a development incentive permit for a restaurant with drive-thru in the limited commercial zoning district as part of a consent agenda with other items. Vice Chair Nicole Lynam and board members Chris Jones and Ethel Hoffman were absent.
The purpose of a development incentive permit is to provide incentives for smaller tracts of land that would have difficulty meeting current development standards.
According to Maricopa County aerial images, the site has contained a canopy structure since the 1970s, but the property has not been in use for many years, according to a written staff report.
“You can see there’s an existing canopy structure there that’s fairly dilapidated. It’s been there for decades,” Staff Planner Jennifer Merrill said at a study session prior to the meeting.
“The site plan shows an 1,800-square-foot restaurant building with the drive-thru wrapped on the east and west sides of the building. There are some canopies attached to the south and east sides of the building that stretch across the drive-thru lane and then provide some screening from Mesa Drive and McKellips Road,” she said.
The applicant is Larson Design Group. The owner is Viel Gluck LP/Ben Fatto LP.
The development is planned at 352 E. McKellips Road, according to a written project narrative from Larson Design Group.
“The proposed project consists of the demolition of an existing gas-fueling canopy and gas-attendant kiosk to construct an 1,800-square-foot Dunkin with drive-thru use,” it states.
The seven-member Mesa Board of Adjustment conducts public meetings to hear and decide requests for variances, special-use permits and interpretations of the city of Mesa zoning ordinance and sign code. Members are appointed for staggered terms of three years, 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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