BUC-EE has already received the green light to build one of the largest gas stations in the world at 32 acres at exit 152, outside the Interstates 85/40 in Meban.
But opponents of the project in this small but growing city with blue collars refuse to retreat.
The 7 indigencies guided by the indigenous population, in partnership with North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN), released a report, renewing concerns about health, air and water against the gas station with 120 pumps, planned for a large extent free section on the road at the road on the road on the road. It is located about 50 miles west of the center of roles and 130 miles north of the Uptown Charlotte.
“Mega gas stations like BUC-EE are not just roadside stops, they are sources of toxic pollution,” Rania Masri, a co-director of NCEJN, said on Tuesday at the City Hall at a press conference, living on the pages of the Instagram groups.
The approved store will be smaller than half the size of Walmart Supercenter to Mebane.
Among the fees of the report: that the mega gas station will consume approximately 23,000 gallons of water every day, stay from a mobile home community and store fuel in quantities that pose a risk to drinking water if leaks appear.
“We don’t need more toxic infrastructure,” Masri said. “We need more clean water, breathable air and communities where health and dignity are not negotiated.”
The report also emphasizes the potential harm of the project for historic trail trails with Indians serving Catawba, Occaneechi and Waxhaw. 7 Directions have collected over 1600 signatures in a petition against the project and gathered speakers to attend public hearing. He works to map the road and document his story to fight that of BUC-EE.
“This is a shame, the city would allow this piece of historic landscape to be bulldous,” says Crystal Cavalier, its co -founder of the conference.
BUC-EE officials were not available for comment.
To a large extent, a free section of Trollinger-Hawfields Road into Mebane can be transformed as a shopping center and more businesses and homes are built near the BUC-EE tourist center located right in the interstate.
Mebane’s site selected after Orange County Location
In January 2024, the Meban Municipal Council unanimously voted to approve the project and restore the site. On Tuesday, the city provided a video connection to the meeting and stood until its decision.
“The citizens of Mebane and the general public have presented statements and evidence, as required by the General Statute of North Carolina and the Ordinance on the United Development of Meban,” Mebane spokesman Kelly Hunter said in a statement.
It was BUC-EE’s second attempt, based in Texas, to raise North Carolina. The first was about eight miles east in Orange County, where the project was rejected before BUC-EE withdrew its application.
BUC-EE’s has a cult after that, partly thanks to its beaver nails, home breasts and barbecue. But opponents say that the benefits will not exceed the negative impact on the traffic, the environment and the nature of the city.
Many of those who opposed the planned BUC-EE in Orange County also fought the plan for the Alamance County.
What are the details?
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BUC-EE will have a comfort store of 74,000 square meters, 120 gas pumps (60 fuel stations) and 652 parking spaces, including 24 electric vehicle charging stations.
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Neighboring tenants include two UPS facilities, copper mill and Walmart and Amazon distribution centers.
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The travel center said it would hire at least 225 full -time workers, pay an annual ownership tax of $ 120,300 to the city and the county and would bring about $ 1.8 million in sales tax revenue.
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The company does not receive incentives for the economic development of the city or county.
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BUC-EE can add up to 1500 more trips every hour in peak times and nearly 2,300 trips in peak hours on Saturday.
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BUC-EE does not serve trailer trucks on a tractor.
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City employees expect BUC-EE to use 23,000 gallons of water a day, compared to 2.1 million gallons a day for existing Mebane customers.
What happens after that?
BUC-EE has submitted detailed plans to the city and the NC Ministry of Transport, which remain under review, said Ashley Owl, Director of Mebane Development. Construction can be started after the developer has received construction permits.
“We have a few more comments to contact them,” she said in a phone call on Tuesday. “I imagine that they will be able to turn them quickly.”
Road improvements are also needed before the store is opened, including more trolts and canvases of Trollingwood-Hawfields Road and Interstates 85/40 within and beyond the frames, new melons and a wider bridge over the interstate.
The NC Ministry of Transport has started working on the $ 38.7 million project this spring, with BUC-Ee raising $ 10 million in costs. It can take up to two years, but no exclusion and deviations are expected, NCDOT officials said.