Nightlife in Maricopa sits just over the horizon. Or, in the case of Duke’s Roadhouse, just past the overpass.

The former pawn shop on Maricopa and Edwards Roads is making slow but steady progress toward becoming a premier nightlife destination in Maricopa. A scour of public records found renderings, a site plan and other details about a will-be rustic western bar.

Plans for the 7,800-square-foot bar and restaurant include remodeling the building with an enclosed front canopy, according to project architect Mark Tomecak. He’ll demolish the floors, ceilings and interior walls for a dining room on the first floor.

The restaurant will include about 2,100 square feet of outdoor seating with patios on either side of the building.

Renderings reveal a homespun interior style with weathered wood, steel walls and large windows. The restaurant will be situated next to a pending pedestrian bridge.

A site plan offers a first look at the restaurant’s proposed parking lot, which will sit on some land owned by Wildcat Landscape Supply.

The renderings and site plan were submitted with pre-application paperwork. This stage of development means developers and owners have only indicated an interest in building or doing business in Maricopa.

This paperwork has yet to be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

In April, InMaricopa reported the restaurant-bar was headed to town by Steve Kovach, an owner of a mason jar cocktail concept in Chandler.

“I want to keep it separate from The Stillery,” Kovach said at the time. “It’s Duke’s Roadhouse. The big similarity is live music. It will be country and western, Thursdays through Sundays.”

At the time, Kovach said the restaurant will anticipate seating 250 patrons with a large bar, dance floor and a broad — though still undeveloped — menu.