Mebane residents can share thoughts about proposed Buc-ee's at city council hearing Monday

On Monday, Mebane residents have the chance to share their thoughts about plans for a new Buc-ee's store near the Triangle - possibly the first Buc-ee's in North Carolina.

Posted 9:07 p.m. Jan 3 — Updated 1:54 p.m. Jan 8

Monica Casey

, WRAL Durham reporter

MEBANE, N.C. — On Monday, Mebane residents have the chance to share their thoughts about plans for a new Buc-ee's store near the Triangle – possibly the first Buc-ee's in North Carolina.

The proposal to bring Buc-ee's to Mebane has people talking pros and cons. Last week, almost 2,000 people signed petitions – some in favor but more opposed to the super-size gas station and convenience store.

Ever since reports surfaced in summer 2023 about Buc-ee's eying Mebane for its first North Carolina location, it's been a frequent topic of discussion in the small town.

Buc-ee's has proposed a 75,000 square-foot facility on 32 acres of land along Trollingwood Hawfields Road and next to Interstate 85/40 in Mebane, with 600 parking spaces and 120 gas pumps. A Pilot Travel Center and Love's Travel Stop are already stationed at the same exit (Exit 152).

Some see it as a potential boost to the local economy while others aren’t buying into it just yet. In December, the Mebane Planning Board voted 3-6 to recommend denying rezoning for the project.

Some of the community's concerns include:

Depleting Mebane’s infrastructure and resources, with concerns over water, sewage and road capacity
Possible decrease in quality of life with air, light and noise pollution
Worries that visitors will stop at Buc-ee's and overlook downtown Mebane's local small businesses

South of the Border and Buc-ee's - The battle of two famous roadside attractions just south of NC

Community groups brought a petition of more than 1,100 signatures to city council members, urging them to reject the development.

"We also want to make sure that the water table is protected, and we don't want this big slab of concrete on top of these wetlands and the floodplain area," Aminah Ghaffar said.

Ghaffar is with 7 Directions of Service, an indigenous-led environmental justice and community organizing collective. More people in the area have voiced environmental concerns.

"We know that these underground storage tanks leak frequently, and these leaks are incredibly dangerous for communities, because that gasoline that's leaking contains benzene, touline, ethel-benzene and zylene," said Haw Riverkeeper Emily Sutton.

"This site is located directly in between two streams that go into the Haw River watershed," Sutton said. "Downstream there are hundreds of thousands of people pulling drinking water from the Haw and Cape Fear and Jordan Lake."

There's also a petition circulating in favor of the development calling on the Mebane City Council to approve it. That letter has more than 800 people signed on.

Many advocates cite the increase in jobs as a major reason to bring the company to Mebane. The city is home to 19,376 people, according to census data. The closest Buc-ee's is currently in Florence, South Carolina.

"There are a lot of people that are in favor of it because of what it can do for the community and because it pays so well," said Shalini Sealey, the creator of the petition.

Sealey said her family discovered Buc-ee's on a road trip years ago and likes to stop there.

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