Chipotle Mexican Grill is eyeing Colorado Springs’ southeast side as the home of what could be its 13th restaurant in the greater Pikes Peak region.

Known for its Mexican fare including customizable burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas and more, the Southern California-based fast-casual chain proposes building a 2,370-square-foot restaurant inside the King Soopers-anchored Hancock Plaza shopping center, according to planning documents recently submitted to the city.

Chipotle declined to confirm its new location Thursday.

The restaurant at 2760 S. Academy Blvd. would be built on existing parking lot pavement, developers said in project documents. The shopping center is expected to lose 54 existing parking spaces to the development, most of which are within the project parcel, developers said.

The restaurant would include an approximately 430-square-foot outdoor patio with tables. It too will include a “Chipotlane” pickup lane, a drive-up window where customers can pick up their online orders without leaving their vehicles. Chipotle introduced this feature in 2019.

Developers said they anticipate a 2026 opening if the city approves the project,  according to planning documents.

Chipotle’s latest proposal highlights the popular international chain’s growth across the Pikes Peak region in recent years.

In late 2024, the company submitted plans to expand on Colorado Springs’ far north side. It proposed constructing what would be its 12th restaurant in the region at 99 Spectrum Loop, inside the 200-acre Polaris Pointe development and just east of the open-air Ford Amphitheater.

Dirt has been moved at the site but no frames have been erected, a reporter observed early Thursday afternoon.

A Chipotle spokesperson did not address questions from The Gazette about its latest restaurant proposal at Hancock Plaza, or for updates on Chipotle’s Polaris Pointe location.

The chain plans to open between 315 and 345 new restaurants in 2025, with plans to equip more than 80% of them with a “Chipotlane,” it said in two April press releases. Its long-term goal is to operate 7,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada, an April 21 release said.

Chipotle currently has 11 locations in the Pikes Peak region. Ten are in Colorado Springs and the 11th opened in 2023 in Falcon, an unincorporated community northeast of the city.

After it opened a location in 2009 at the University Village Colorado shopping center on North Nevada Avenue, the international brand added no other Chipotle restaurants to the region until 2022.

Chipotle has opened three local restaurants since, all in fast-growing areas: in the Victory Ridge development southeast of InterQuest and Voyager parkways in northern Colorado Springs; northeast of Powers and Tutt boulevards in northeast Colorado Springs; and in the Falcon Marketplace shopping center northwest of Woodmen and Meridian roads in Falcon.

Inside the Hancock Plaza, Chipotle joins local and international brands including King Soopers, El Super Taco, Starbucks, Panda Express, Pizza Hut, Dollar Tree and more.

Chipotle operates more than 3,700 restaurants in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Alongside Kuwait-based retail franchise operator Alshaya Group, Chipotle operates five restaurants in the Middle East.

In April, the brand signed an agreement with Alsea, a restaurant operator in Latin America and Europe, to open Chipotle’s first restaurant in Mexico by early 2026, with plans to expand into additional Mexican markets, the April 21 release said.