Buc-ee's Gets Green Light for First North Carolina Store

MEBANE, N.C. — The city council of Mebane unanimously approved a rezoning and special use permit that will allow Buc-ee's to build its first store in North Carolina at 1425 Trollingwood-Hawfields Road.

Though the county planning board had originally recommended against the project back in December, the council vote gives the company the go-ahead to break ground on the planned 75,000-square-foot facility, which includes 120 gas pumps and 600 parking spaces, reported WRAL News.

The project has continued to engender mixed responses from community members, with some locals praising the influx of new jobs vs. others expressing concerns over environmental impacts and the effect on locally owned small businesses. Buc-ee's has also struggled to find a foothold in the Tarheel State before; a previous location proposed for Elfand was abandoned after community pushback, according to Fox 8.

Even with the council approval as a first step forward, CMS Management LLC, the property owner overseeing the build, will still have to take accountability for infrastructure improvements in the surrounding area. Fox 8 reported that an analysis from North Carolina's Department of Transportation will require the developer to update several nearby roads, including the widening of entrance/exit ramps and the bridge over Interstate 40.

After several decades spent building out its footprint in its home state of Texas, Buc-ee's started to expand into additional states in 2018. However, even with the occasional setback as seen in North Carolina, the company has set an ambitious goal for itself, with plans for stores in Ohio, Virginia and Louisiana moving ahead, as well as the grand opening of its first Missouri store late last year.

Founded in 1982 and based in Lake Jackson, Texas, Buc-ee's operates stores across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee.