A new gas station planned near the interchange of Interstate 75 and West State Road 40 will join at least eight other gas stations that are situated within a mile of the busy area.
B I Realty, LLC and Racetrac, Inc. will seek approval next month from the Ocala City Council to annex and rezone a 5.86-acre property located at 4040 W Silver Springs Boulevard.
The property, which consists of two parcels, has been empty since the previous development, a motel, was demolished in 2018. Now, a large gas station is planned for the site.
The requests to rezone and annex the property will be read into record during the Ocala City Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, September 3. The council will vote on the measures during its meeting on September 17.
Earlier this month, city officials received a letter from local property owner Mahesh Shah, who is the CEO of T & M United Corporation.
Shah, whose company operates a Shell gas station near the proposed site, says he is “very concerned” with the proposed RaceTrac. In his letter, he says the “mega station” would have “repercussions on the whole of our small town.”
“We have been proud to have a thriving station in the heart of our community and supply fuel to others in the local vicinity; as part of our community, I hope you will take note of the concerns of local people for their economic environment and look for other, less damaging uses for this site,” reads the letter from Shah.
Shah goes on to state that there are several “large supermarkets” within a few miles “in each direction” and that another large market would destroy the flow of traffic and have a negative impact on local jobs.
“The new supermarket may bring some jobs, but it is likely to put existing ones in jeopardy. Shoppers coming to the new mega station are likely to do all their shopping under the one roof and then go home,” according to Shah’s letter.
Shah closes his letter by saying that he opposes the gas station and by asking that the city deny the request.
On a recent drive, Ocala-News.com counted at least eight gas stations within a mile of the I-75, W SR 40 interchange. That includes a RaceTrac located at 3211 W Silver Springs Boulevard and a Wawa that opened in 2019.
In addition to the gas stations, at least a dozen national fast food chains have restaurants situated within a half mile of the I-75/SR 40 interchange, including Burger King, Subway, Dunkin’, Wendy’s, KFC, Subway, McDonald’s, Popeyes, Taco Bell, Waffle House, Zaxby’s, and Denny’s.
There are more than a half-dozen RaceTrac locations across the city of Ocala. That includes stations along SW College Road, S Pine Avenue, SW Hwy 484, and Blitchton Road.
As of August 22, there are approximately 297 RaceTrac gas stations in the state of Florida and 817 across the United States. The company also has 162 locations in Georgia and 136 locations in Texas, according to RaceTrac.com.
