To answer the question that has been asked in local Facebook groups only 742,000 times — with varying degrees of panic — over the past week: No, the Taco Bell restaurant on Highway 99E in Canby is not closing permanently.
Instead, the approximately 2,100-square-foot building is undergoing an exterior refresh and other improvements the Canby Planning Commission approved in January.
The Canby Planning Commission will next week consider plans for exterior renovations and other improvements at the Taco Bell restaurant on the Highway 99E strip.
The planned redevelopment includes moving the wraparound drive-thru lane closer to the existing building, removing 12 parking stalls, installing a drive-thru canopy and updating the menu board and signage.
Reducing the parking lot size will still leave 18 spaces for the restaurant (which primarily served drive-thru customers — even before the coronavirus pandemic). Other changes include increased landscaping and a new trash enclosure.
The Canby Taco Bell is located at 845 Southwest 1st Ave. and is owned by the Tofte family trust.
