The Buc-ee’s chain of massive travel centers is stating an interest in constructing a future location off the Interstate 95 interchange in the Gold Rock area northwest of Rocky Mount.
“I can confirm that,” Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson said over the phone on Thursday afternoon. “We’ve been working with Buc-ee’s off and on for about five years.”
The long courtship it seems has paid off.
“Yeah, we’re headed down that road,” Roberson said. “And I’ve got to tell you: I’ve been hearing over and over and over for years what we need is a Buc-ee’s. So, I’m proud to say that we’ve got a Buc-ee’s on the way.”
Roberson in August said that he is constantly asked when the Rocky Mount area is going to have a Buc-ee’s and that he is constantly asked when the Rocky Mount area is going to have a Publix supermarket.
“And my answer is always the same: We are working hard to recruit those,” Roberson said at the time.
Roberson said Thursday that overall, he believes that the commitment by Buc-ee’s is going to add to the Rocky Mount area’s luster and create one of those stops off I-95 that will help the Rocky Mount area be able to engage in more commerce.
The city of Rocky Mount, in an email early Thursday evening, said that Rocky Mount continues to offer opportunities for businesses looking to establish a presence, invest and grow.
“The city welcomes development that can create jobs, strengthen our local economy and contribute to the continued growth and vitality of our community,” the email said. “We remain committed to making Rocky Mount a place where people want to live, work, visit, invest and build their future.”
The city said that the proposed development remains subject to the city’s established review and approval process.
The Gold Rock area became a part of Rocky Mount in a 1997 satellite annexation.
The Gold Rock area was once a busy place in northern Nash County for travelers wanting to pull off I-95 and once included a Howard Johnson’s motel and a Shoney’s restaurant.
Currently, the Gold Rock area is the scene of a Denny’s restaurant and the area also is home to a couple hotels and a couple gas stations.
Buc-ee’s, which is based in the Texas Gulf Coast region, dates back to 1982 and mostly has locations in the southeastern region.
Buc-ee’s is working to enter the North Carolina market by constructing a location off the Interstate 40/Interstate 85 corridor in the Mebane area.
Roberson said on Thursday that Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Director Alan Matthews has been the point man in the effort to secure a Buc-ee’s locally.
Additionally, Barnhill Contracting in a DOT improvement project modified what was an antiquated trumpet-shaped I-95 interchange in the Gold Rock area by removing the adjacent Halifax Road overpass, realigning Halifax and putting in a diamond-shaped interchange with roundabouts on each side.
A letter dated Monday from Buc-ee’s was circulating on social media Thursday indicating that the chain is excited to be under contract to purchase about 34 acres of land adjacent to the interchange with I-95.
The letter said that plans call for holding a neighborhood informational meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 22 in the city development services conference room on the first floor of City Hall in downtown Rocky Mount.