HARTLAND TWP. (WWJ) -- The wildly popular Sheetz gas station and convenience store chain is eyeing a new location in Livingston County, with dozens more planned across Southeast Michigan.
The Pennsylvania-based chain is proposing a site at the former Walgreens and Chase Bank in Hartland Township, near Highland Road and US-23.
The proposal calls for a 6,132 square-foot location with a conventicle store 12 gas pumps, 48 parking spots, two air stations, and indoor and outdoor dining. Like other Sheetz locations, the business would be open 24/7. [See plan details and renderings here].
The Hartland Planning Commission will discuss the site plan during their regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28. Plans for a new Chick-fil-A on the site of the former Big Boy restaurant will also be discussed at that meeting.
There's been some pushback against Sheetz opening in some local communities, but that's not the case in Romulus where a second location opened to cheers and celebration this summer.
There was a big crowd for a July 23 ribbon-cutting for the new Sheetz on Middlebelt Road, which is not only the second location in Romulus, but the second to open in the state.
There are 20 or so new Metro Detroit Sheetz locations currently in the works, with long-term plans calling for 50-60 new outlets in our region over the next five to six years, according to President and CEO Travis Sheetz.
Coming soon: Highland Township, in western Oakland County, approved a location on M-59 and Milford Road, and three Sheetz locations have been approved in Macomb County's Warren.
However, Farmington Hills, Fraser and Madison Heights all denied the company’s application after residents voiced their disapproval — citing concerns about traffic and crime.
Sheetz is most known among its customers for their specialty drinks and made-to-go food menu. The company was founded in 1952 by Bob Sheetz when he purchased one of his father's five dairy stores located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, the company's website states.
Over 70 years later, they now have over 700 stores located in Central and Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and in North Carolina.