City council members last week approved a plan by Speedway to build a new, updated convenience store with six islands for fuel sales in front of the store. Speedway also asked city officials to vacate a portion of an existing alley near the site, which would provide slightly more than one acre for the new store.
It would also include room for 24 parking spaces to the east and south sides of the store, as well as along the Main Street portion of the site. The front of the store would face Main Street.
It is not yet clear whether the updated store would mean more jobs, or when construction would begin.
“It’s a big project and they have a lot of underground utilities they have to move,” said Randy Bridge, city manager for New Carlisle.
Speedway officials declined to comment last week.
“Because we are early in the planning stages, we are unable to provide comment at this time,” said Stephanie Griffith, a spokeswoman for the Enon-based company.
Along with the North Main Street site, Speedway also operated a second location nearby at 324 N. Main St.
Speedway also recently rebuilt a heavily used location in Springfield at 1147 N. Limestone St. That new location includes a full-service convenience store and Speedy Cafe that allows customers to order food from a self-serve kiosk.
The original location in Springfield was about 2,200 square feet, while the rebuilt version is closer to 3,900 square feet.
Speedway is also moving ahead with the $2.8 billion acquisition of Hess Retail Holdings, one of the largest convenience store chains on the east coast. That acquisition will roughly double Speedway’s size, leading to the need for more jobs locally and making Speedway the largest company-owned convenience store chain in the U.S. based on revenue.
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