Circle K Expansion Pending Approval in Central City

The Central City Village Planning Committee met Monday evening to discuss the expansion of a Circle K located on the corner of 15th Avenue and McDowell Road.

The Central City Village Planning Committee had 15 members in attendance at the meeting hosted at 1817 N. Seventh St. Anthony Grande, the village planner, took attendance of the committee members and led attendees through the agenda.

Though the meeting addressed drafts of the updated Phoenix General Plan coming in 2025, the main focus of the meeting was rezoning issues regarding a specific Circle K’s expansion.

Currently, there is a Circle K located at the corner of 15th Avenue and McDowell Road. Item six on the agenda discussed a request to rezone the property from a multifamily residence district to a neighborhood retail zone. This rezoning would allow for the expansion of the Circle K which would add multiple gas pumps, additional shade coverage, a bicycle repair station and additional parking spots. However, the approval of the expansion was subject to 20 stipulations that will help the Circle K better suit the community around it.

Brennan Ray, the applicant for Circle K led the committee and general public attendees through the specifics of the expansion. Ray described the expansion as, “A complete redevelopment of this site.”

As Ray presented, several committee members asked questions regarding the specifics of dumpster locations, the overall layout, safety concerns, and entrances and exits to the store. A main concern was alley abandonment behind the Circle K and how lighting fixtures could help address the future problem.

Many committee members had concerns with the safety of the Circle K. Eva Olivas, a committee member, said, “I can’t tell you how happy I am. I live right down the street and this is a Circle K I completely avoid.” Olivas expressed how in the past she has dealt with safety concerns such as very few employees working at a time and possible burglaries taking place.

Circle K applicant Ray discussed how there will be security cameras located around the exterior of the convenience store and that there will be eight hours of security guard presence seven days a week. However, these security guards are not located on sight and are instead mobile patrollers who monitor the area. Olivas said this was “very misleading” to the public in reference to future safety measures.

Because of this concern, the committee moved to add a stipulation. They moved to add a stipulation that Circle K adds an in-person full-time security guard eight hours a day during the week. The motion passed with 13 members in agreement, one who abstained and one who voted no to the stipulation.

During the public opinion part of the agenda, several residents of the neighborhood expressed their varying views on the rezoning issues.

Jeff Dents, a long-term resident of the area, expressed his beliefs that the size of the new Circle K did not fit within the proportions of the neighborhood. Dents talked about the dynamics of the neighborhood and voiced his opposition to the expansion saying, “This will so change the dynamic of this neighborhood and this development.”

Anthony Rios-Gurrola also opposed the expansion. Rios-Guroll said, “The demand isn’t coming from the neighborhood itself, it seems like it’s being imposed.”

Another resident, Byron Sampson, was in favor of the expansion.

“I don’t think this is something from a zoning point we can deny,” Sampson said.

Sampson described how the convenience store is behind his house and though he understands the concerns, he believes that the higher activity the store would bring would help decrease the crime in the area. He said, “I’d prefer to see some improvement,” in regard to the crime in the neighborhood.

Though residents of the neighborhood had differing opinions, the board voted to approve the request barring the 20 original stipulations and the one additional stipulation added during the meeting.

Committee member, Patrick Panetta said, “There’s really no zoning reason not to go through with this request, it's an unfortunate circumstance associated with Circle K.”