The long-rumored Kwik Star truck stop and convenience store are coming to the first Perry plaza if the company’s construction plans are approved by the city.
According to a proposal submitted in late September to the Perry Planning and Zoning Commission, the company will build on a new 5.78-acre lot created by combining the northern 3.22 acres of the Perry Business Plaza, including the former site of the Hy-Vee grocery store, with a 2.53-acre lot lying west of the shopping center and owned by Livy’s Seed and Warehouse.
The southernmost 4.5 acres of the Perry Business Plaza will continue to be owned by a trust controlled by Eric and Carol Ziel of Ankeny, who acquired the property in February from a Glenwood development group that purchased the shopping center in 2016.
The P&Z Commission will meet to consider the proposal to combine the parcels Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the second-floor meeting room of the Towncraft building at 1122 Willis Ave.
According to a report prepared for the commission by Mike Fastenau, director of Perry Community and Economic Development, “Traffic is to be handled by single entrance/exit on First Avenue that will be further south from an existing entrance that will be closed. There will be the additional three entryways/exits along Center Street. It is anticipated that truck traffic will entry the site off First Avenue and exit on Center Street to get back on Hwy 144. The Iowa DOT has reviewed the traffic impact information provided and has approved the plan.”
Fastenau’s report said the proposed structures for the store and carwash will have a facade of brick windows and stucco under a sheet metal roof.
“The commercial activities will be all located on the portion of the Perry Business Plaza,” according to the report, and the Livy lot will be “used for truck parking and stormwater management.”
The 24-hour operation would include “a convenience store with a detached double-bay carwash, 10-dispenser fueling canopy and a two-lane diesel canopy,” according to a letter submitted to the P&Z Commission by Scott Zietlow, Kwik Trip Inc. project manager for store engineering.
Zietlow said the company’s “multi-million dollar investment” in Perry will bring 25 to 30 new permanent jobs to town and an estimated payroll of about $500,000 annually.
“We pride ourselves in being an asset in the communities where we are located,” he said. “Families can walk or ride their bikes to our stores. Retirees on fixed income can access fresh groceries like milk, eggs, bread and fruit just steps from their car. We take pride in giving back to the communities we serve with charitable donations and by partnering with local non-profits.”
The La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip Inc. was founded in 1965 and operates some 700 stores in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Iowa and Illinois stores are called Kwik Star.
Center Street is going to be tight for semi truck traffic and First will often be blocked or backed up to 141 by trucks waiting to turn left. Odd planning. Ten pounds in a two pound sack. I’m glad for the investment, but yet another car wash, convenience store and gas station? Not exactly underserved markets in Perry.