Gas station approved on NC-150 in Chronicle
By Sam Kirk
Catawba County has approved the construction of a gas station at the intersection of NC-150 and NC-16 bypass.
Claude Gagne, the Hickory-based real estate developer who planned the project, received the final approval to change the zoning from agricultural to commercial in April 2024. The property is currently owned by the Turbyfill family but is under contract to be purchased.
The plans for the gas station call for ten gas pumps and a 6,000 square foot building. The building will be shared by a 4,000 square foot convenience store and a 2,000 square foot “eating establishment,” likely a fast food restaurant. The property will also feature several electric vehicle charging stations.
Plans were originally drawn for the gas station in 2023. Gagne produced the plans and obtained the approvals for the gas station on behalf of the current owners in exchange for payment when the property is sold.
Locals have long expressed a desire for a gas station in the area. The most recent gas station near the NC-16/NC-150 interchange closed prior to 2008.
The closest existing gas station to the location proposed by Gagne is on NC-150, 2.7 miles northeast of the intersection. There are no gas stations within a mile of NC-16 between Buffalo Shoals Road and NC-73, a 14-mile stretch of road.
In 2022, a parcel of land at the intersection of NC-150 and E Maiden Road was purchased by Home Run Markets, a Statesville-based gas station chain. The Catawba County website shows no current permits issued to build a gas station on the property.