Planning commission staff initially tabled the issue to allow Agaliyev time to refine the project and return with a more detailed plan, as city staff expressed concern regarding the project’s scope and the facility’s intended purpose.
The applicant is now proposing a 4,500-square-foot building with 12 semi-truck parking spaces and has provided the city renderings of the proposed building, Interim City Planner Aaron Sorrell said during a December planning commission meeting.
Uses would include a two-bay maintenance facility and parking for up to 12 semi-trucks either waiting for repairs or waiting for pickup after repairs are completed.
Original plans included the potential to add restroom and shower facilities for truckers to use, but this feature has been omitted from current plans, Sorrell said. Under the approved preliminary plans, trucks would be dropped off and stored overnight, allowing truckers to seek lodging elsewhere in the city.
The project site is located in a “gateway” and “growth” area, according to the city’s comprehensive plan. Gateway areas signify prominent entrances into the city and are to be designed and landscaped in an attractive manner. Growth areas are sites where economic development is encouraged and residential developments discouraged.
The matter will be presented for city council approval later this month, Sorrell said.
This project is the second such facility proposed recently for the area near the busy interchange. Just 300 yards north, an approximately 35-acre piece of land is the proposed site of a larger fueling station, truck stop and repair facility.
The applicant in that case, Amarjit Takhar of Takhar Oil LLC, submitted a plan to the city that includes construction of two buildings. One 6,720-square-foot building will house a convenience store and restaurant, and the second 6,642-square-foot building will contain a diesel truck repair facility, according to the plan documents.
Construction on this project was originally estimated to begin in the summer of 2022, but the site remained empty as of Friday. Takhar was unable to be reached for comment on the status of the development. According to the city, the project is continuing as planned, though no updated timeline is available.
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