A vacant parcel along one of Colorado Springs’ busiest roadways has become a revolving door of land uses.

Murphy USA, the Arkansas-based gas station and convenience store operator with a handful of Pikes Peak region locations, intends to build a 2,842-square-foot convenience store at 3020 and 3030 E. Platte Ave., a roughly 1-acre site between Circle Drive and Chelton Road, according to a proposal company representatives have submitted to city government planners.

The convenience store apparently would replace a Big Splash Car Wash that had been slated to be built on the site and where a “car wash coming soon” sign, with the Big Splash logo, has stood for more than a year.

It’s unknown if the Murphy convenience store envisioned for the site is a done deal; neither Murphy nor Big Splash Car Wash officials responded to requests for comment about the status of the Platte Avenue property. It’s also unknown if Murphy has contracted to purchase or lease the site.

The property, just east of Fargo’s Pizza and where thousands of vehicles pass by daily, had been the longtime home of Independent Records, the music, apparel and lifestyle products retailer.

In 2021, a limited liability company formed by Big Splash, which Colorado Secretary of State records show is based in a suburb of Kansas City, Mo., paid $1.5 million to purchase the Independent Records site. Big Splash also submitted plans to city officials that showed it would construct a car wash on the property.

Two Independent Records buildings were torn down in early 2022, while the retailer moved to South Academy Boulevard. It’s since closed.

The Platte Avenue property, however, has remained vacant for the last two years since Independent Records was demolished.

Big Splash opened its first Colorado Springs car wash in December 2020 at 5760 N. Academy Blvd., near Academy and Vickers Drive on the site of an old restaurant building that was demolished. In June, however, that location became a Turbo Tide car wash.

Big Splash also submitted plans to city officials in August 2023 to build a car wash on 1.25 acres in the Victory Ridge mixed-used development southeast of InterQuest and Voyager parkways, where a Big Splash limited liability company paid $1.9 million for the site, El Paso County land records show.

No building permits have been pulled for the construction of that car wash, according to Pikes Peak Regional Building Department records.

Big Splash continues to operate a location at 6995 Lexington Drive in Colorado Springs, its website shows.

Murphy USA, meanwhile, operates two convenience stores in Colorado Springs and one in Monument, north of the city. It’s submitted plans to city officials that show it intends to build convenience stores in the Springs at 8050 N. Academy Blvd. and 1435 Academy Park Loop.

Murphy also has submitted documents to El Paso County officials that show it plans a convenience store in the Owl Marketplace development, southwest of Owl Place and Meridian Road in unincorporated Falcon, just outside Colorado Springs.