‘Not the right fit’ for Buc-ee’s. Here’s what’s coming to Orange County instead.
Orange County has a new suitor for a 100-acre site between Efland and Mebane that caught the eye of Texas-based Buc-ee’s last year.
Oppidan Development, based in Cary, applied for a zoning compliance permit Sept. 1 for the proposed Efland Industrial Park — 886,240 square feet of light industrial and warehouse space — at 304 Mt. Willing Road in Efland.
The developer has not identified a company that could occupy the space, county planning staff said.
Since the current zoning allows light industrial and warehouse uses, the developer only needs planning staff approval that it meets the county’s development, environmental and building standards.
The county includes manufacturing, assembly and distribution operations with low water needs and that use non-hazardous materials among its light industrial uses. That can include companies producing wholesale food items; surgical, medical and dental instruments; furniture and paper products; household appliances; and other consumer goods.
The county’s Planning Board and Orange County Board of Commissioners do not review projects that are allowed by-right under the existing zoning.
The site is located beside Interstates 85/40 between exits 160 and 161, and in the county’s Commercial-Industrial Transition Activity Node. It has public water and sewer available and is zoned for up to 2 million square feet of office and manufacturing land uses.
A site plan shows the project could have three roughly 250,000-square-foot buildings and one 126,000-square-foot building. It would maintain a landscaping buffer around streams and wetlands on the southern portion of the property. Four stormwater ponds could be located between the buildings and the interstate.
Roughly 32 acres would remain undeveloped, in addition to areas designated for stormwater ponds.
The main entrance would be off the U.S. 70 Connector across from Ben Johnston Road, with an emergency access driveway off Mt. Willing Road. Parking could accommodate up to 596 vehicles, including 95 trucks.
The project could generate about 217 new trips during the weekday morning commute and 161 new trips in the evening. Future studies would determine whether traffic lights are necessary at the intersection of Ben Johnston Road and the I-40/85 ramps with the U.S. 70 Connector.
Buc-ee’s withdraws, moves to Tennessee
County staff members started to review the project Wednesday. Staff meetings are not open to the public, and there is no deadline for a decision.
Buc-ee’s applied last year to build a 60-pump gas station with a 64,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s Travel Center as part of the proposed Efland Station development. The long-term plan for the property would have added 425,000 square feet of retail, office and hotel construction.
The county had estimated that the $40 million project could create 200 full-time jobs and generate up to $1 million in local property and sales tax revenues in the first phase.
Only the travel center was prohibited under the current zoning.
The project faced intense public criticism over how it might affect the environment and small, local businesses in Efland. Thousands of residents signed a petition and others held rallies in Hillsborough hosted by the newly formed grassroots group A Voice for Efland and Orange to oppose the project.
Buc-ee’s withdrew its application in February after two public hearings and a list of conditions from the commissioners, including a request for a smaller travel center.
Stan Beard, director of real estate for Buc-ee’s, told the Planning Department in a letter that the company decided “Orange County is just not the right fit for Buc-ee’s.”
Buc-ee’s has since announced plans to build the world’s largest convenience store in eastern Tennessee, about 50 miles from Cherokee. The project is a partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
No other potential North Carolina sites have been announced.
More buildings, community desires
The citizens group changed its name after the announcement to A Voice for Orange County and refocused its efforts on amending the county’s plan for light industrial and manufacturing uses along the I-85/40 corridor. Some areas surrounding the county’s 900-acre Buckhorn Economic Development District that previously were designated for commercial growth are no longer on the table.
The remaining concern is primarily for Area A, a couple hundred acres located between I-85/40 and U.S. 70 from Buckhorn Road to roughly north of the I-85 weigh station. They’re also keeping their eye on West Ten Road, south of the interstate, where Medline is finishing the construction of a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center in the Buckhorn EDD.
The district has attracted manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, retail and service companies, including Japanese candy maker Morinaga and Swiss industrial equipment maker ABB is expanding its operation to 600,000 square feet.
Steve Brantley, Orange County’s economic development director, noted that it’s not unusual for construction to start at a distribution center or industrial park without knowing what tenants will move in.
A similar situation is happening on 46 acres near the intersection of West Ten and Buckhorn roads, where Orange County put in water and sewer lines a few years ago, he said. Mebane annexed and rezoned the property in February for 675,000 square feet of warehouse and light manufacturing space in two buildings.
The developer, Ohio-based Neyer, now has the project is now under construction, and is looking north to 121 acres along I-85/40, behind the Petro Stopping Center on Buckhorn Road. Some of the land already has been annexed by Mebane, and a rezoning application submitted for five light industrial and warehouse buildings, as well as a new fire station.
Orange County struggles, in part, because companies look for a building or site that has zoning and utilities in place, Brantley said.
“If you do have a business park that is being prepared, such as this Efland site or the Neyer property over near Petro, then I would say the chances of something coming along that could be distribution” but offer high wages and a big investment of capital, he said.
“Or it could be what’s happening in (Research Triangle Park) right now, where you have a building that is either built for distribution or had been used for distribution and was vacated, and then all of a sudden, biopharma steps in,” he said. “The biotech-pharmaceutical entry into the Durham County/Wake County area is just exploding.”
Jared Cates, an organizer with A Voice for Orange County, said the proposed Efland Industrial Park is not the retail, restaurants, hotel and offices that residents wanted, but they still “feel like it would be better than Buc-ee’s.” They remain concerned that the industrial park has too much impervious surface at roughly 1.8 million square feet of buildings, roads and parking lots, he said.
“Retail, restaurants, banking — that was all supposed to be part of that second phase of Buc-ee’s, but we were all convinced that that second phase of Buc-ee’s would never have happened,” Cates said. “If anyone wants to see that beautiful field go to something, it would be something that would be more useful for the community, that would have some local businesses in it maybe. Seeing that all go to industrial and a parking lot is really disappointing.”
This story was originally published September 20, 2021 at 11:30 AM.
