By May 15, Rosie McCaffrey’s Irish Pub, which opened in 2002 and closed in September 2022, was rubble. It will be replaced by an auto display lot (photo by Kathryn M. Miller).

It had a solid 20-year run, but Rosie McCaffrey’s Irish Pub, which closed its doors in September 2022, was reduced to a pile of rubble in May to make way for a Chapman BMW display lot.

At the May 7 meeting of the Camelback East Village Planning Committee (VPC), members were presented with a request to rezone two parcels, located at 901 and 906 E. Camelback Road, to accommodate an expansion of the adjacent BMW display lot (rezoning cases Z-26-24-6 and Z-SP-7-23-6). Chapman purchased the property in June 2023 after the pub’s 2022 closure, and a demolition request was posted in February and the permit was issued in April of this year.

At the meeting, no residents spoke in opposition of rezoning the property, but during the rezoning process, representatives from adjacent townhome communities used the opportunity to work with Chapman to address various street parking issues that they have encountered. Both representatives and the committee chair praised the Chapman team for their willingness to hear and address the neighborhood’s concerns.

After discussion, the VPC unanimously approved the rezoning requests, which will be presented to the Planning Commission on June 6 and the Phoenix City Council on July 1.