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Council amends comp plan, approves PDP to allow Kwik Trip at Mandalay Gardens with conditions
Summary
After a lengthy hearing, Westminster council approved a comprehensive plan amendment (changing Lot 2 to 'service commercial') and then approved a preliminary development plan amendment to allow a fuel/convenience store (Kwik Trip) at Mandalay Gardens Lot 2; staff had recommended denial, but council added conditions for building placement, view corridor protection and freight signage.
After extended testimony and more than two hours of questioning about planning history, the Westminster City Council on July 13 voted to amend the comprehensive plan for Mandalay Gardens Track 10 Lot 2 from a commercial designation to service commercial and then approved a related preliminary development plan (PDP) amendment that would allow a fuel station with a convenience store to locate on the site.
Staff recommended denying both the comprehensive‑plan and PDP amendments, saying the requested use conflicted with the city’s planned retail commercial character for that corner and with the 2040 comprehensive plan limits on secondary auto‑oriented uses. Planning staff noted that auto‑oriented uses are allowed only as limited secondary uses and that secondary uses were constrained to a maximum share of the character area.
Kwik Trip representatives and counsel argued the action corrects the parcel’s technical designation after several years of project phasing and ownership changes. Attorney David Foster said the company purchased the larger parcel in 2022 and worked with the city during a multi‑phase process; he urged council to approve the change so the previously contemplated corner use can proceed.
Planning commission had recommended denial 4–3; during the council hearing staff and the applicant went over the site’s planning history. Councilors debated both the historic record and present circumstances. Mayor Pro Tem moved approval of Council Bill 22 (the comp plan amendment) with two conditions intended to protect the corner’s view corridor and gateway character and to require an off‑site freight signage plan; that motion passed 4–3. Later the council approved the PDP amendment (to allow the fuel/convenience store) on a 6–1 vote.
Supporters at the hearing — including a Westminster resident and a Chamber representative who earlier supported housing items — said the site lacks nearby convenience/grocery options; one resident called the Kwik Trip prototype “more than a gas station” and praised its food offerings.
What happens next: the PDP and ODP amendments must meet the conditions the council placed on them (including location of the primary building between canopy and street to screen pumps and a recorded freight signage plan for Jefferson County) before staff will finalize administrative approvals.
