The dirt lot at the northwest corner of Elliot Road and Signal Butte Road in Mesa is the site of a planned Circle K convenience store and gas station. City documents identify the project, and East Valley Explorer’s aerial photos show a fenced construction site with graded soil, trenches, exposed piping and equipment.
For anyone passing the neighboring Swig and wondering what is taking shape on the corner, the public plans provide a clear answer. A confirmed opening date remains the missing piece.
Where is the new Circle K at Elliot and Signal Butte?
Mesa’s May 18, 2026 City Council agenda record identifies Circle K Store #9577 at 10744 E. Elliot Road. The location sits immediately south of the retail strip whose signs include Signal Butte Kids’ Dentistry and Swig, with Elliot Road along the site’s southern edge and Signal Butte Road along its eastern edge.
Those landmarks make the parcel easy to recognize in the photos: the building marked 3528 is in the foreground, and the fenced dirt lot occupies the corner beyond it. Black Rock Coffee is farther west along Elliot.
What do the Circle K plans include?
The city’s March 11, 2025 Design Review Board file names the project “Circle K at NWC Elliot and Signal Butte,” case DRB23-00433. Its submitted site plan and project narrative describe:
- A 5,200-square-foot convenience store.
- Six fuel pumps beneath a 3,936-square-foot canopy.
- 19 parking spaces on the site plan, including an accessible space.
- Access through the surrounding drive aisles connecting to Elliot and Signal Butte roads.
The drawing places the store in the northern portion of the parcel, closest to the existing retail strip, and the fuel canopy closer to Elliot Road. That arrangement helps make sense of the open space between the rectangular construction footprint and the intersection.
These are details from the submitted design documents. They describe the planned project; the completed site may reflect later revisions.
What the aerial photos show
The most revealing view is the close look at the long rectangular area beside the existing shops. Trenches run across the soil, white pipes rise at several points, and forms outline portions of the footprint. A backhoe and other equipment sit nearby, with materials and temporary site facilities elsewhere on the lot.
The position of that work appears consistent with the store location shown on the city drawing. That is a visual comparison, rather than confirmation of a particular inspection or construction milestone. The photographs do not show a completed store or an overhead fuel canopy.
How it fits into Elliot Tech Center
The corner is part of the broader Elliot Tech Center development from Thompson Thrift, which combines industrial buildings with retail sites along the roads. Its retail marketing plan labels Circle K on this corner, Black Rock Coffee to the west and Oregano’s farther north along Signal Butte.
For nearby residents and people working along the Elliot Road corridor, the planned station would add a fuel and convenience-store stop alongside the center’s dining and service businesses.
Following the restaurant construction, too? Our Oregano’s at Signal Butte and Elliot update covers that nearby project and its opening-date question.
When will Circle K open?
As of September 28, 2026, East Valley Explorer has not verified a public opening date for this location. The May 2026 city record concerns a liquor-license application and establishes the store number and address; it does not establish when the business will welcome customers.
The useful distinction for neighbors is between the identified project and its schedule: public documents name Circle K, while the supplied photos show construction in progress. Store hours, an opening day and any location-specific opening offers remain unconfirmed.
Reporting checked September 28, 2026. Original photography: Zac Coplan / East Valley Explorer.
