Plans are moving forward for a new Chipotle restaurant at Gill Properties’ Stage Centre retail development near Stage and Kirby Whitten roads in Bartlett.

The city’s Design Review Commission approved a site plan Tuesday, Sept. 17, for a new 2,330-square-foot building proposed for a section of a large parking lot between the center’s CVS and Dollar General stores.

“We’re trying to make it look like we planned it. This is lifelong project,” jokingly said Gill Properties President Ray Gill after the meeting, referring to the fact his center was built in 1991. “I’ve been wanting to build in that gap for 30 years.”

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That part of the parking lot has been home to a weekly car show for many years.

“We love the car show. They’re all good friends of mine actually,” Gill said, noting there will still be plenty of room for the show to continue once the Chipotle is built.

He said he estimates the cost of the new building to be $2.5 million. Gill said he expects construction to begin this fall with a six- to eight-month timeline for completion.

The center on the northwest corner of Stage and Kirby Whitten roads is experiencing some renewed life this year. Tommy’s Burger California Style moved into a freestanding building previously occupied by Back Yard Burgers, and an O’Reilly Auto Parts superstore opened in a portion of a large former grocery store space that sat vacant for almost 18 years.

“We were thrilled to get O’Reilly’s, and there’s talk they might even expand,” Gill said. “We’re trying to find a family-oriented tenant to go into the balance of the grocery space.”

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Gill said he is not sure what has sparked the new activity at Stage Centre, but he said he has a theory.

“I think it has something to do with a combination of the new (mayoral) regime in Bartlett, BlueOval and the Grant property (the mixed-use Union Depot project down the street),” Gill said.

He describes his friend Mayor David Parsons and his staff as “a shot in the arm for Bartlett.”

Gill said he actually wants to build another 10,000-square-foot building behind the Tommy’s Burger California Style.

“My staff tells me I’ve lost my mind,” he said. “But I’d do it tomorrow if I had a tenant.”

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Bartlett’s DRC unanimously supported the site plan.

“Everybody knows what Chipotle is, and it’s good to have one in the city,” said DRC member Ed Brooks who works as a project manager for Spirit Architecture. “The business it will do will generate good taxes.” 

DRC member Tyler Canup, owner of Canup Engineering, focused on the plan’s lighting, materials and overall aesthetics.

“Making sure materials aren’t going to be long-term maintenance issues that’ll degrade over time,” Canup said. “Overall, I think this will be a great addition to Bartlett.”