Will be located in Dayton suburb

(TNS) —The construction of Ohio’s first Buc-ee’s, planned for a site in northeast Huber Heights, near Dayton, will bring with it changes to surrounding roadways.

To accommodate the anticipated increase in traffic volume associated with the proposed 74,000-square-foot store, engineers for Buc-ee’s worked with city officials and the Ohio Department of Transportation to determine necessary upgrades to nearby intersections and the Interstate 70/Ohio 235 interchange just southeast of the project site.

According to detailed development plan documents, the Buc-ee’s store will have two access points from Ohio 235, one being at the CenterPoint 70 Boulevard intersection to the north and one at the Artz Road intersection to the south.

Traffic study conclusions recommend construction of a 270-foot northbound right-turn lane at the Artz Road/Buc-ee’s access intersection, and a 375-foot northbound right-turn lane at the CenterPoint 70 Boulevard/Buc-ee’s access intersection.

Recommendations near the interchange include construction of a traffic signal intersection at the I-70 westbound to northbound Ohio 235 off-ramp (currently, traffic from the exit ramp merges into northbound Ohio 235 traffic with no light or stop. The proposal also would include an additional northbound thru-lane at this location.

An additional lane on the I-70 westbound exit ramp is also recommended.

Other additions and improvements include: — A new southbound left turn-lane at the CenterPoint 70 Boulevard/Buc-ee’s access intersection, as well as an eastbound right-turn lane. — A new northbound thru-lane and receiving lane north of the CenterPoint 70 intersection, with the easternmost lane merging to a single lane. — Converting the southbound right-turn lane into thru-right-turn lane at the CenterPoint 70 intersection. — Updates to existing traffic signal timing and phasing at the CenterPoint 70 intersection and the Coca Cola Boulevard intersection north of the Buc-ee’s site.

Further analysis may be conducted by ODOT and the city of Huber Heights to determine if additional northbound and southbound lanes should be added along Ohio 235 north of CenterPoint 70 Boulevard, documents state.

The full detailed development plan for Buc-ee’s Huber Heights is expected to be presented at the May 14 planning commission.

Pending litigation of utility services

As plans for the massive new store progress, the city of Huber Heights has been involved in ongoing litigation with the Board of Clark County Commissioners related to services near the project location.

The Clark County Commissioners filed a court complaint against the city in July, claiming Huber Heights’ 20-year wastewater treatment services contract with the city of Fairborn, which the city entered into in 2022 as part of its east sewer main extension project, may violate a similar set of contracts between Clark County and Huber Heights.

The longest-standing Clark County-Huber Heights contract involves a service location near the I-70/Ohio 235 interchange, which includes the Buc-ee’s project site and near the city’s border with Clark County.

The county’s complaint claims the sole right and authority to operate water and sewer in the service areas outlined in the agreement. But the city has asserted it is not contractually obligated to connect to Clark County services.

Following unsuccessful efforts between the two parties to settle the complaint, a jury trial has been set for Oct. 21, 2024, according to court documents.

Assistant City Manager Bryan Chodkowski said earlier this year the ongoing litigation has had no effect on the Buc-ee’s development project.