Board of Adjustment approves variance for 7 Brew Coffee drive‑thru on Stockton Hill Road

The Kingman City Board of Adjustment voted to approve variance VA26‑00001, permitting a 7 Brew Coffee drive‑thru to be located along Stockton Hill Road and within 300 feet of an existing drive‑thru, after a staff presentation, applicant testimony and board questions about traffic and stacking.

Planner Heather Rasmmanson told the board the request would grant relief from zoning code sections 3‑80.280.B.2 and B.3. The property is zoned C‑3 (commercial service business); the owner is listed as SK&M Investments and the applicant as Aaron Dudley of CI Engineering. Rasmmanson said staff recommended approval with conditions, noting the pad was historically intended for development and that the city’s 2021 zoning update (effective Jan. 1, 2026) added stricter drive‑thru standards.

Rasmmanson described the proposed site: the drive‑thru lane would sit about 13 feet, 9 inches from the Stockton Hill Road right‑of‑way while the building setback measures roughly 45 feet, 9 inches to the right‑of‑way. City code generally requires a minimum 25‑foot separation from a right‑of‑way and 300 feet between drive‑thrus; staff said the applicant proposes a three‑foot wall and a landscape buffer parallel to Stockton Hill to mitigate impacts and that the exit of the proposed lane would be about 45 feet from the nearest drive‑thru (a Taco Bell to the south). Rasmmanson also noted the variance would be void if the use is not commenced or a building permit not obtained within one year of approval, and any extension would be processed as a new request.

Board members raised concerns about parking, circulation and queuing spillover into the shopping center. Director Milwood said a full traffic study was not warranted but staff conducted a queueing analysis to assess the potential for vehicles to back up between the proposed site and the adjacent Taco Bell; he said the commercial center’s internal circulation and reciprocal ingress/egress helped justify the finding of special circumstances for the variance.

Tim Varley, speaking for 7 Brew Coffee, described operations and mitigation plans. "No food, just beverages," Varley said, and explained the operation uses attendants with tablets to take orders. He and staff estimated dual‑lane stacking capacity at about six vehicles on the inner lane and seven on the outer lane (roughly 13 vehicles) before the queue would reach external circulation, and said average service time per customer is under two minutes. Varley also said proposed hours are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., deliveries are handled by smaller pickup trucks around 5 a.m., and the business typically staffs about 30 employees across shifts.

After discussion a board member moved to approve staff Option 1 (grant the variance subject to the recommended conditions); the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. Conditions require compliance with applicable city codes and design standards except where specific relief is granted; staff reiterated the one‑year commencement permit rule and that any extension would be treated as a new variance request.

The approval allows the applicant to seek required building permits and proceed under the stated conditions; if construction or permit activity does not begin within the specified timeframe, the variance will expire.