Planning commission approves Kwik Trip fueling station on West Colfax after floodplain and design review

The Lakewood Planning Commission on Nov. 19 approved a special use permit (case SU22-0002) for a Kwik Trip fueling station and convenience store at 6851 West Colfax Avenue by a 5-1 vote.

Shelby Madrid, a civil engineer with Kimley-Horn representing the applicant, said the project was under review since preplanning in 2020 and formally applied on Feb. 25, 2022. Madrid and Jessica Glovis, a Kwik Trip real estate project manager, described a mixed-use site redesign that includes a convenience store with a to-go kitchen, a fueling canopy, Level 3 electric-vehicle chargers, a meandering sculpture walk and two small plaza seating areas intended to connect the property to the adjacent 40 West Arts District. "We are adding EV chargers to this site," Madrid said; the applicant said the chargers are Level 3.

Carolyn White, land-use counsel for the applicant, told commissioners the proposal meets the supplemental standards for fueling stations in the zoning code (including a canopy consistent with building architecture and a required 1,000-foot spacing from other fuel stations at the time of application) and argued the site is identified as a growth area in the Lakewood comprehensive plan adopted before the application date. White and applicants also highlighted site safety measures: double-walled, state-of-the-art underground fuel tanks with leak detection and anchoring/buoyancy testing, on-site stormwater detention, and 24/7 monitored security cameras.

Commissioners asked about floodplain impacts, insurance and stormwater. The applicant said portions of the site lie in the mapped 100-year floodplain but that the team submitted a conditional letter of map revision (CLOMR) and designed the convenience building at least one foot above the mapped flood elevation. "The below-grade fuel tanks are anchored and buoyancy-tested," the applicant said; the team also described floodproofing for multiple-product dispensers and a water-quality detention pond.

Commissioners debated whether the single Kwik Trip use, which replaces several prior small businesses on the parcel, met the comprehensive plan's broader vision for growth and the art district. Some commissioners said Kwik Trip's design features, commitments to EV chargers and public-art connections would activate the Colfax corridor; others said the application gave them pause about "highest and best use." The motion to approve, made by Commissioner Williams, carried 5-1; Commissioner Buckley cast the lone no vote.

Kara Mueller, staff from the development assistance division, recommended approval and reminded the commission that, if the SUP is approved, the applicant will have two years to obtain an approved major site plan and the CLOMR must be finalized before major site plan approval. The site will also require design-review approval during the major site plan phase.