The developer of a new RaceTrac is seeking final approval from city officials to realign a busy intersection in west Ocala with a roundabout, a move that comes after years of collaboration between various agencies.
A developer’s agreement with B I Realty, LLC and RaceTrac, Inc., to facilitate the roadway realignment of SW 40th Avenue will come up for a final vote during the Ocala City Council’s next regular meeting on Tuesday, February 18.
The request will realign SW 40th Avenue on the south side of State Road 40 with NW 40th Avenue, north of SR 40. The realignment will create a “more efficient north-south traffic flow on SW/NW 40th Avenue,” according to a city staff report.
Additionally, the improvements will allow for a signalized intersection at SR 40 and will eliminate the “unsafe left turning movements from either SR 40 or 40th Avenue,” according to the report.
Last November, the city unanimously approved ordinances to clear the way for the future RaceTrac near the proposed roundabout. That gas station site is located at 4040 W Silver Springs Boulevard in west Ocala.
It is situated near the intersection of SW 40th Avenue and W State Road 40, around 1,000 feet away from the roadway’s interchange with Interstate 75.
Last August, the Ocala Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 to recommend approval of the new RaceTrac. The site previously featured a motel that was demolished in 2018.
RaceTrac has agreed to design and construct specific intersection, road, drainage, and utility improvements connected with the site in west Ocala. The proposed Developer’s Agreement would require the city to reimburse RaceTrac, Inc. for the roadway improvements, design, and construction costs the company incurs.
Additionally, the agreement would call for RaceTrac to relocate the city’s existing lift station to improve the proposed road design. The city would share 50 percent of the cost of the lift station relocation with the company, according to the report.
The project has been one in the works for multiple years, with the county, state, city, and business all working in collaboration to move forward.
A conceptual plan for the new gas station shows that the roundabout would be located just southeast of the new facility.
The plan shows the 5.86-acre gas station property will feature a 6,008-square-foot convenience store, approximately 16 standard gasoline pumps, five “high-powered diesel pumps” with “one-way access,” around 34 parking stalls, and a stormwater pond.
Earlier this year, attorney Robert W. Batsel, Jr., of Gooding & Batsel, PLLC, said that the realignment of the intersection was a “big win for the city” and would address a long-standing problem.
“This is a really big win for the city. We’re going to be able to realign the intersection that has been a project in progress for a very long time,” said Batsel.
The Ocala City Council next meets on Tuesday, February 18, at 4:00 p.m. at Ocala City Hall (110 SE Watula Avenue).