The Enterprise Town Advisory Board on July 30 denied a use permit and related waivers for a proposed gas station, convenience store, tunnel car wash with 22 vacuum stations and ancillary facilities at the corner of Blue Diamond Road and Fort Apache Avenue.

Architect Hamid Panahi, speaking for the applicant, said the project team had revised the plan several times to address residential adjacency and public-works concerns and was seeking multiple waivers for driveway departure and approach distances and driveway throat depth. "We had to redesign, move the car wash further out to a location that the sound doesn't travel as bad," Panahi said during the presentation.

A neighbor who spoke in favor, Helen Foley of 888 Pinehurst, said the project would include mitigation such as cool roofing, EV charging and bicycle parking.

Board members expressed persistent concerns about traffic and driveway stacking on Fort Apache, proximity to nearby residences and the number and scope of waivers requested. One member said the site felt "too big for the lease of land it's on." After discussion, the chair moved to deny the item; the motion carried.

Why it matters: The proposal sought multiple public-works waivers that affect driveway geometry and separation standards intended to limit vehicle stacking and protect residential areas. The board said several public-works concerns remained unresolved and concluded the project as presented was not acceptable.

Key points
- Proposal: gas station, convenience store, tunnel car wash with 22 vacuum stations, future restaurant pad and kiosk on a 3.06-acre site in a CG (general commercial) zone.
- Applicant rationale: design compromises were driven by sound mitigation for adjacent residences and tight site constraints, the applicant said.
- Public support: Helen Foley voiced support and pointed to EV charging and bike parking commitments.
- Board concerns: unresolved public-works waivers (driveway departure/approach, throat depth), driveway impacts on Fort Apache traffic, and residential adjacency standards.
- Outcome: Motion to deny the use permit and waivers carried; the transcript records the motion and that it "carries." No roll-call vote with member names was included in the record.

Next steps
The denial at the advisory-board level means the applicant may revise the proposal and return for a future hearing, or appeal through county processes depending on the permit path.