Circle K gets approval for new Government Street development

Circle K will move forward with plans to raze an existing Shell gas station at the corner of Government Street and South Foster Drive, following the Metro Council Zoning Committee’s approval on Wednesday of Circle K’s plans for a new 4,400-square-foot convenience store with a gas station and a 1,040-square-foot car wash. When the project was initially proposed last summer, the Planning Commission staff recommended rejecting it because of issues both with access and the design. The Mid City Redevelopment Alliance also raised concerns about the design, arguing the plan doesn’t align with the city-parish master plan or the alliance’s pedestrian-friendly goals for the area. But the Planning Commission voted to approve the project at its meeting in September, and Planning Director Frank Duke says Circle K has modified its designs and he is now satisfied with the plans. “My hat’s off to them,” Duke says. “They continued to work on this to make this something that will be an asset to the area. They are vastly increasing the green space to what is there now, and it’s a vast improvement.” Additionally, Circle K plans to build another 3,052-square-foot retail space on the site, according to plans filed with the Planning Commission. Circle K has not disclosed its plans for that space. See a rendering of the Circle K store on Government. —Stephanie Riegel