By Travis Arbon and Agnel Philip
Circle K’s use permit application was taken under advisement and a hearing officer will announce its decision within 30 days, following Thursday’s zoning hearing.
The use permit is for the development of a new Circle K on the southeast corner Roosevelt and Seventh streets, across the road from an existing Circle K. Because the new location is within 300 feet of a residential area, Circle K needs the use permit in order to sell alcohol at its new location.
The meeting was attended by a large number of community members and Circle K representatives. Nearly 30 people spoke about the project. But the hearing officer at the meeting, Sandra Hoffman, decided not to issue a recommendation and can deliberate for up to 30 days on her decision.
Earlier in the week, a letter cosigned by eight community organizations, including the Garfield Organization, Evans Churchill Community Association, Downtown Phoenix Partnership and Downtown Voices Coalition, detailed their concerns with the project and submitted it to Circle K.
The letter included requests that Circle K prohibit sales of single alcohol containers, implement the stipulations from the previous use permit, remove the fuel infrastructure from the current Circle K and alter the design of the new building by moving the position of the building and keeping windows clear.
Kim Moody, founder of Alwun House and Garfield Organization board member, said that the community members who signed were united in their opposition to the development.
“There was a consensus with this project, just like last year,” Moody said. “Downtown is a rather cohesive community. I mean, we’re all different. Everyone has their own business and everyone has their own life and neighborhood but we all share a common vision that downtown should be something special and not just a suburban mishmash.”
Last year, Circle K attempted to build a similar project at the same location. However, following overwhelming disapproval from the community, and added stipulations on the use permit, Circle K withdrew its application.
“About a year ago, we brought this project forward with the same design and location,” David Cisiewski, the lawyer representing Circle K, said at the hearing Thursday. “Based on a lot of the neighborhood input and comments we were getting from a lot of different avenues, once we had gone through and gotten the use permit approved, we sort of decided to take a pause, step back and reevaluate the project.”
Circle K has spent a lot of time since it announced its plans to build the new location, addressing an overwhelming sentiment from the community that a larger location would only increase potential crime. A study conducted by Arizona State University’s Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety, states that Circle Ks generate more crime than any other convenience store in the Valley.
Dr. Charles Katz, one of the authors of the study, said that he was neither for nor against the project but came to clarify the study’s findings.
“A lot of the issues are that people go in for beer runs and then it results in other types of criminality. We’ve interviewed arrestees, we’ve interviewed youth that are participating in these activities and they all say the same thing: If you want beer, you just walk into a Circle K and you take it out and you go from there,” said Katz.
Carlos Estrada, loss prevention manager for Circle Ks in Arizona and Nevada, said last week at the Garfield Organization Revitalization and Economic Development meeting that the convenience store and gas station has seen a 40 percent decrease in police calls over the last several months, however Circle K has not provided any further information validating this statement.
Mike Williams, representative for the Arizona Police Association and Circle K, said that Circle K has been improving how it handles repeat offenders.
“What we did, with the Arizona Police Association and Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, we went to the county attorney’s office and met with their police liaison.” Williams said. “We were able to convince them, and they were very happy to do it, under the current laws to start prosecuting people under a repeat offender program. In the first months of that program being implemented, there were 545 crimes resolved with the arrest of 16 people.”
The new Circle K would include a larger store and six double-sided pumps for a total of twelve refueling positions.
Dana Johnson, president of the Garfield Organization, said at the hearing that crime has been an issue since Circle K entered the neighborhood.
“I’ve lived at that address at 12th Street and Roosevelt since long before the Seventh Street and Roosevelt Circle K was even built,” Johnson said. “Everyone has complained about it since day one and the inoperable traffic mess that it’s caused. As a neighborhood activist we have spent two decades combating the crime elements surrounding the three Circle Ks in our neighborhood.”
Contact the reporters at travis.arbon@asu.edu and agnel.philip@asu.edu.
