And the walls came tumbling down Wednesday afternoon from the former McDonalds building at 1247 Trinity Drive. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

Heavy equipment tears down the walls by the front entrance of the former McDonalds building on Trinity Drive Wednesday. Photo by Maire O’Neill/

Workers remove shrubs and debris near the former drive-through area. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

A pile of branches was removed from trees between the building and the street. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

The former McDonalds building at 1247 Trinity Drive was demolished Wednesday. In June, the Los Alamos County Planning & Zoning Commission approved a site plan for Maestas Development Group which included the demolition of the old building and its replacement with a new building. At that time, the P&Z Commission was told that the new building would house the Starbucks that is currently located on Central Avenue.

County Planning Manager Bryce Ternet confirmed Wednesday afternoon that as far as the County is concerned, the plan for the property has remained the same. However, when the Reporter checked in with Maestas Development Group, she was told that the company could not confirm who the tenant will be.

The property has been vacant since 2016. In 2019, the Commission approved a request for a drive-through restaurant which was expected to be a Wendy’s, however the applicant did not commence the approved use within 18 months which meant the site plan became invalid under the terms of the County’s Development Code.