Back in August, Orange County staff received an application to rezone approximately 104 acres of county property located along the I-40 corridor at exit 161.

The proposed development, newly named Efland Station, includes everything from a hotel and bank to sit-down restaurants and a Buc-ee’s Travel Center. As the focal point of the development, the Buc-ee’s Travel Center boasts 120 gas pumps, the “cleanest restrooms in America” and a 64,000 square foot retail center.

Orange County’s Planning Board reviewed this application at its November 4 meeting and unanimously voted to recommend approval to the Board of County Commissioners.

Orange County Commissioner Penny Rich said the project proposal will be presented to the Board of Commissioners in December for a formal public hearing.

“It’s a big project,” Rich said “I think people are rightfully concerned about what it means to put that many gas pumps off of I-40. But also we know that Buc-ee’s is a big hit in Texas and they want to be a big hit in North Carolina.”

Map of proposed Efland Station development (Courtesy of Orange County Government)

Efland would be Buc-ee’s first North Carolina location if the development is approved. Since its founding in 1982, Buc-ee’s has grown to 41 stores in Texas and one in Alabama. The travel center is now looking at Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina to further its expansion.

If approved, Efland Station will be constructed in two phases with Buc-ee’s being built first. Pending all government approvals, construction on Buc-ee’s will begin in 2022, with a scheduled opening between 12 and 18 months later.

A second phase in 2023 could add a 120-room hotel, 8,000 square feet of medical office space, 30,000 square feet of specialty retail space, a 3,500 square foot bank and 32,000 square feet of casual and sit-down restaurant space.

Once Efland Station is complete, the development is projected to add more than $2 million dollars to the local tax base each year, with approximately $1 million of those local taxes generated by Buc-ee’s. Overall, according to its website, Efland Station’s economic impact will create nearly $10 million dollars per year in federal, state and local taxes.

Buc-ee’s founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin opened the first store in Lake Jackson, Texas. The company’s name combines Aplin’s childhood nickname “Beaver” and the name of his Labrador retriever Buck.

For more information on the proposed Efland Station development, click here.

Lead photo courtesy of Buc-ee’s. 

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