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ARIZONA

In-N-Out Burger breaks ground on new Flagstaff restaurant. Here's what is next

Michael Salerno
Arizona Republic

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this article misidentified the new owner of the property where the Flagstaff In-N-Out Burger is being built.

Months after an In-N-Out Burger restaurant was finally confirmed to be coming to Flagstaff, construction crews have begun work on the new location.

Work crews were seen this month demolishing the building at 1860 S. Milton Road that once housed a Pizza Hut.

After the building is demolished, crews will scrape the site and begin work on a new building for the burger restaurant, Flagstaff city engineer Paul Mood said at a March 14 City Council meeting.

The new In-N-Out is beginning to take shape after its plans met criteria from the Arizona Department of Transportation, which had sought a median that would prevent left turns out of the restaurant.

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When will In-N-Out open in Flagstaff?

In-N-Out Burger confirmed that the Flagstaff restaurant is happening in a lease agreement with Scottsdale-based Diversified Partners, who told The Arizona Republic they have since sold the property to the Giles family.

Mike Abbate, In-N-Out's assistant vice president of real estate — whose signature appears on the lease agreement for the new location — previously told The Arizona Republic that it usually takes "about eight to nine months to build a restaurant and open for business."

A former Pizza Hut is being demolished at 1860 S. Milton Road in Flagstaff, to be replaced by a much-anticipated In-N-Out.

But the new location's construction contract with its contractor is for six months, suggesting the Flagstaff In-N-Out will open by late fall, Mood said at the City Council meeting.

When the Flagstaff location opens, it will become the 35th In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Arizona. The California chain currently has 34 Arizona locations, including 22 in the Phoenix area, nine in Tucson/southern Arizona and one each in Kingman, Lake Havasu and Prescott.

The Flagstaff restaurant is not yet listed on the chain's website among its restaurants opening soon, and no job openings for it are advertised.

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What will In-N-Out mean for traffic in Flagstaff?

The Flagstaff In-N-Out held up to ADOT scrutiny through multiple traffic studies and In-N-Out agreeing to ADOT criteria that included limited turn movements and a median along Milton Road to prevent left turns from the restaurant.

Demolition has begun for the new In-N-Out in Flagstaff at 1860 S. Milton Road.

But it hasn't squashed concerns that the new restaurant will further congest a bustling artery, given the plethora of restaurants, stores and other businesses that already line Milton Road between historic Route 66 and Interstate 40.

A former Flagstaff resident named Joe Garcia wrote in a Facebook group about Flagstaff that In-N-Out means "hamburgers and long, long lines" and predicted Milton Road "will be a nightmare — OK, even more of a nightmare."

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Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.

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