Les Schwab Tire Center

In January 2023, CenterPointe began preparing for Les Schwab Tire Centers’ anticipated expansion into Nebraska. Long before the company was ready to actively pursue sites, we were mapping markets across the state, scouting real estate, identifying property owners, and making calls.
 

In July 2024, Les Schwab gave us the green light to begin pursuing Nebraska locations. Because much of the groundwork had already been done, we were able to get several potential projects moving almost immediately, including Scottsbluff.

We identified a site near Walmart, just off the highway and adjacent to an existing Chili’s restaurant. The property wasn’t listed for sale and was owned by a hotel group based in Wyoming. We contacted the ownership group directly and learned they were open to selling. We quickly put the property under contract, and Les Schwab approved the location shortly thereafter.

 

The deal became more complicated when the ALTA survey revealed that our property technically included half of Chili’s access drive, but there was no recorded easement in place. A closer look also showed that Chili’s customers had been using a portion of our property for overflow parking for many years, and the restaurant’s stormwater drainage crossed the site as well.

 

Those issues all needed to be resolved before we could develop the property.

 

After initially attempting to address the access issue through an easement, we ultimately worked directly with the Chili’s ownership group on a broader solution. Because Les Schwab did not need the strip of land containing the access drive, we agreed to replat the property and convey that portion of the site to Chili’s at no cost. We also agreed to continue accommodating the restaurant’s existing drainage.

 

In exchange, the Chili’s ownership group worked with us to clean up the title issues and release any potential claims related to its historical use of the property for parking. We also agreed to cover approximately $8,000 of their legal expenses.

Resolving the inherited property issues ultimately cost approximately $30,000 between the value of the land and legal expenses. We explained the situation to our seller, who agreed to reduce the purchase price accordingly.

 

With the title issues resolved and the property replatted, CenterPointe closed on the site and Les Schwab was able to move immediately into construction.

 

The new Les Schwab Tire Center is now open and serving the Scottsbluff community.