Wally's proposes 52,000-square-foot travel center, 84 fueling positions at Noland Road; council hears traffic, zoning and infrastructure questions

Representatives for Wally's on Monday presented the company's plan for a large travel center at a site on Noland Road in Independence and said they will seek zoning and permitting approvals in the coming weeks.

"Our transactions of inside sales outnumber fuel transactions 5 to 1," said Nathan Hale, director of construction and development for Wally's, describing the company's focus on food, merchandise and traveler services as well as fueling.

The site plan presented to the council shows a roughly 52,000-square-foot building, an on-site canopy with 42 working fuel dispensers (84 fueling positions), and site improvements on 14 to 16 acres. Hale said the planned store would employ roughly 200 to 210 people at opening and that the company expects high retail and food sales in key travel periods; he said comparable Wally's stores sometimes produce combined inside-and-fuel revenues exceeding $50,000 per day during busy periods.

Traffic, infrastructure and permitting were the central topics at the study session. Wally's told the council it has submitted a traffic impact study to the City of Independence and to the Missouri Department of Transportation and is working through comments. The developers' traffic consultant recommended a series of roadway improvements, including lengthening acceleration and deceleration lanes on Interstate 70, extending four-lane sections on eastbound ramps, adding a signalized right-turn lane from the westbound off-ramp, changes at the Lynn Court offset and upgrading Canterbury (a private road) to city standards and dedicating it as public right-of-way.

City staff and council members asked detailed questions about traffic modeling, the extent of MoDOT review and the prospect that the developer would pay for work normally done by MoDOT. Wally's said some improvements to state-owned ramps and pavement could be funded by the developer in order to speed construction and mitigate local impacts, a practice that the project's outside counsel said he has seen elsewhere in Missouri but is not common. The developer said any public-finance incentives would be used to fund public infrastructure improvements tied to the project — road work, sewer and water upgrades — and that the company would prefer not to pursue city-backed incentives that reduce operating costs.

Wally's presented site and design details including retail branding, restroom facilities (the planned store would include 22 individual women's restrooms and 17 individual men's stalls with attendant staffing), security measures, a streetscape buffer and a retaining wall to protect nearby residences. The firm said it would dedicate Canterbury as public right-of-way after bringing it to city construction standards.

Process and next steps: the city manager said the special-use permit for the gas pumps and a requested UDO amendment will be considered at the Oct. 6 city council meeting. Wally's and its counsel told the council they are preparing zoning materials, traffic responses to MoDOT and the city, and — if the council requests — public-finance proposals tied to capital infrastructure improvements; the developers said they would not seek developer-backstopped incentives for corporate operating subsidies but might request financing assistance for public improvements in the corridor. Polsinelli, Wally's outside counsel, said staff and bond counsel are preparing required documents and that notifications and initial materials would be sent to the TIF commission and other review bodies as appropriate.

Councilmembers and residents raised questions about long-term site maintenance, petroleum-storage protections and whether the project would cannibalize existing local businesses. Developers said tanks and fueling installations are regulated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, that tank installations comply with federal and state rules and that Wally's participates in state insurance funds and other programs to address cleanup and removal costs if needed.

No formal council vote occurred; the council will consider the special-use permit and UDO amendment on Oct. 6 and will review any financing requests if and when they are formally submitted.