Circle K submitted a request for a two-year extension to receive building permits in the city for its planned store and gas station at the northeast corner of 2820 W. SR 89A and Southwest Drive on Thursday, March 5.
Originally, the company’s plan for the 1.781-acre parcel had a deadline of Friday, June 5, for its permitting.
The development, which the city originally approved on May 21, 2024, needed a few minor tweaks before the city engineers would approve the permits.
“As part of the permit approval process, our engineering staff provided them with corrections they needed to make and we have not received those corrections yet,” Deputy City Manager Lauren Browne wrote on Feb. 26.
The project, which was originally proposed in April 2022, would move the Circle K from its nearest location at 2570 SR 89A west of Andante Drive.
“The city is waiting for the receipt of ADOT encroachment permits and drainage easement documents,” Browne wrote.
Encroachment permits are needed for changes to state routes, like adding a turn lane on 89A, which the project would require.
A drainage easement was needed because the current property did not have the ability to manage the drainage the project would create.
Steve Bowser, the city’s previous primary contact with Circle K, said he couldn’t answer questions, and forwarded all contact to a third-party administrator, Sean McCarley, a project manager with CESO Inc, the third party administrator for the development.
“I forwarded it [questions on the project] to Circle K, and they said they’re not interested in a newspaper posting,” McCarley said.
The drainage easement the company had originally planned was for its neighboring property, Navajo Lofts, which didn’t get back to Circle K about the easement in time, according to the extension request.
Without the ability to have the neighbor’s signature on the “drainage easement — due to Navajo Lofts’ own third-party commitments with Arizona Water Company — constitutes a circumstance entirely outside of Circle K’s control. This directly necessitated a full redesign of the drainage system and extended the project timeline despite Circle K’s good faith efforts,” the request reads.
According to the request, Navajo Lofts’ first response to Circle K was Jan. 6. The request also listed Arizona Water Company’s Jan. 20 confirmation of the neighbor’s improvements that affected its ability to approve an easement.
The request, signed by McCarley, cited the nearly two years of work the company has done to keep the project running, and argues it counts as progress and investment in the site.
“The project is nearing the construction handover phase,” it reads. “Circle K has initiated a competitive bidding process with prospective general contractors and anticipates receiving final bids on or around March 3, 2026. Circle K is current on all city fees, including wastewater billing charges, and there are no known code violations, environmental issues, or health and safety issues existing on the property.”
Plans for the lot for the current Circle K location at 2570 SR 89A have yet to be decided.
“We haven’t received any proposals for that property,” city Planning Manager Cari Meyer said. “What happens on that site would be up to the property owner.”
