(Atlantic) The Atlantic Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the commercial site plan for a proposed Kwik Star gas station, car wash, and food service facility at 1500 East 7th Street in Atlantic. The commission met Tuesday, November 10, at City Hall to review the company’s proposed development plan.
Travis Small, Kwik Star’s Real Estate Development Manager, appeared before the commission to present the project and provide an overview of the company. Small is familiar with the Atlantic area and graduated from Atlantic High School in 2014.
Small said Kwik Star operates more than 900 stores in seven states. He also explained that the company is vertically integrated, meaning it controls the various stages of production, from acquiring raw materials to selling the finished products.
Small said the company takes pride in remaining family-owned while continuing to expand across Iowa and other states.
The proposed development is located in the C-1 Highway Commercial District, which allows retail and service businesses, including food preparation for off-premises sales.
Plans call for an 11,033-square-foot principal building and approximately 115,434 square feet of paved area. The site plan also counts the fueling spaces at the gas pumps as parking spaces under the city’s zoning ordinance, since fueling is considered a principal use of the property.
Commission members also asked about Iowa Department of Transportation permits for the proposed access points. Small confirmed that, after a traffic study, the DOT approved Kwik Star to move forward with permit applications covering three access points.
Those include an entrance near the private road by the car wash, shared access with the Casey’s store in the middle, and an entrance on the far east side near Scooter’s. Small said the DOT is not requiring traffic lights.
According to the site plan review, the submitted site plan and building permit satisfy all 17 required site plan elements. Those requirements included property information, building dimensions, parking, setbacks, landscaping, signage, utilities, paved surfaces, traffic circulation, and a drainage plan.
