Chipotle Mexican Grill coming to Watertown

A popular national restaurant chain will move into a storefront next to the Five Guys Burgers and Fries that opened recently in City Center Plaza off Arsenal Street.

Alexandria Bay developer Patrick M. Donegan has confirmed that Chipotle Mexican Grill will open soon in a storefront adjoining Five Guys in the 5,000-square-foot building in the development near Interstate 81.

“We’re just glad to fill the building,” Mr. Donegan said.

Chipotle representatives recently submitted plans to the city’s code enforcement office, said Mayor Jeffrey E. Graham, who heard the news Friday that the popular chain was coming to Watertown.

On Friday night, Mr. Donegan said the Colorado-based chain, which boasts gourmet burritos and tacos, has made a commitment to enter the growing Watertown restaurant market and just has to “finalize the paperwork” before he finds out more about the company’s plans. All Chipotle restaurants are corporately run.

He said he doesn’t know yet how long it will take to complete the 2,300-square-foot interior, when the restaurant will open or how many people it will employ.

Kenneth A. Mix, the city’s planning and community development coordinator, said the building already went through the site-plan review process, so just the code enforcement office needs to sign off on the project.

Meanwhile, Mr. Donegan said, work crews have been using some heavy equipment on the northeast section of the City Center Plaza site to create a second retention pond in preparation for future development.

While he has no current interest from a big-box retailer, he said, he decided it was a good idea to complete the second retention pond now, rather than wait for a tenant to become interested in the parcel.

So far, Mr. Donegan has about $29 million invested in City Center Plaza. It has created about 350 jobs.