The Glendale Planning Commission recommended approval Jan. 22 of a Chipotle with a drive-thru along Bell Road and a Clean Freak Car Wash next to a Circle K on a Glendale island surrounded by Peoria and Maricopa County.
Both items are scheduled to be voted on during the Feb. 24 Glendale City Council meeting.
Chipotle is asking for an amendment to the Talavi PAD to allow for another drive-thru restaurant. This site is between 57th and 59th avenues on the south side of Bell Road.
The property is fully developed and was a stand-alone restaurant. It has been vacant since 2024.
“The addition of a new drive-thru restaurant encourages the revitalization of an underutilized site,” Glendale Planner Christine LaVelle said.
The commission recommended approval of the amendment by a 6-o vote. Commissioner Tom Cole was in the hospital at the time of the vote.
Chipotle would come in at 5825 W. Bell Road the former site of Pizza Hut and Wingstreet.
“It will enable adaptive reuse of an existing vacant restaurant. It’s an improvement of the site with a new concept that’s more responsive to market demands and market trends,” said Alex Hayes, an attorney for Phoenix-based Withey Morris Baugh PLC.
A rezoning case heard Jan. 22 would allow a standalone car wash use on the southwest corner of 107th and Northern avenues, just south of the city’s boundary with Peoria.
The land is vacant, as well as the adjacent site to the south. A Circle K abuts this property, and Glen Harbor Business Park is to the east, across 107th Avenue.
“The current PAD only allows a car wash as an ancillary use to a convenience story. Currently, there is a car wash next to an existing Circle K abutting this site. The proposal is to remove that car wash and allow this free-standing car wash to potentially be developer,” Planner Joseline Castaneda said.
The smaller Circle K car wash has closed. Circle K recently acquired the Clean Freak Car Wash brand.
The proposed 4,500-square-foot self service Clean Freak would have one attendant on site. During the notification process, several people expressed opposition to the car wash, said Attorney Brennan Ray of Phoenix-based Ray Law firm.
“Nine people showed up. Most if not all of the people that showed up were from the residential area to the west and south,” Ray said.
The car wash, Circle K and a soon to be revealed multifamily project are on a Glendale island surrounded by Peoria to the north, and Maricopa County land to the west and south.
Clean Freak is planned with a significant landscape setback off Northern Avenue. It would be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and closing a bit earlier for darkness in the winter.
Ray said the 81% of the car wash’s water will be recycled.
The commission recommended approval the rezoning by a 5-1 margin, with commissioner Bryan Hooper voting against and citing water usage concerns.
Richard Smith
Senior News Editor | Glendale & West Valley Preps
Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.
An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.
For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.
As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.