June 10, 2022—A recent parcel request from Express Oil Change and Tire Engineers in West Des Moines, Iowa, was rejected.
According to Business Record, Express has been looking for a retail store location along Mills Civic Parkway for months.
The parcel requested by the Birmingham, Alabama, based company is the only one that fits its needs, according to one of the company's senior project managers Andy Golden. One problem with this request is that the parcel is part of a planned unit development that isn't zoned for an automotive service business.
Additionally, the proposed business would share a driveway with the existing Grand Living at Tower Place building, which houses senior living.
West Des Moines Council members Matt McKinney and Doug Loots both disliked the idea of a shared driveway in this case, and were not interested in changing zoning allowances for Express.
“We’d love to accommodate your business here but I’m just skeptical of making changes to the PUD and then doing it everywhere else,” Loots said, according to Business Record. “I would love to have you here but I don’t know that this is the right spot, for a variety of reasons.”
