It was probably never going to be a Buc-ees, but for now the 305-acre site at the intersection of Highways 69 and 80 won’t be a part of Demopolis either.
Demopolis Mayor Woody Collins said Feb. 4 that local officials have withdrawn a request to the Alabama Legislature to approve annexing 305 acres in Hale County into the Demopolis city limits, which included plans for a gas station to go there.
That means that the annexation can’t be finalized until the legislature meets in January 2027 at the earliest, Collins said. The legislature is unlikely to call a special session during an election year, he said.
Collins said officials were moving quickly to get the annexation on the calendar for the current legislative session because they wanted the deal to happen before Gov. Kay Ivey left office.
“The governor has been so generous and so gracious to west central Alabama, we all felt we need to push to show economic development on the (Highway 69) corridor,” Collins said. “It would be a feather in her cap, because she worked so hard for it (the Highway 69 project).”
“We got a late start” to get the annexation on the legislative calendar, Collins said, and he conceded that the two property owners who own the property in question were put off by the speed of the transaction.
“There were some details maybe it looked like we were missing – not major points – that need to be worked out,” Collins said. “On top of that, it started to look like we weren’t going to get on the (legislative) calendar anyway, so we all said, ‘Let’s call a time out and catch our breath and work out the details.’”
A new Highway 69 going south toward Mobile from Highway 80 is under construction. The highway currently continues west of where Highway 69 N joins Highway 80.
The Highway 69 and Highway 80 intersection would be a prime spot for a gas station or truck stop, although rumors of a Buc-ees is “just social media talk,” Collins said.
“Nobody is signed, sealed and delivered to come there,” Collins said. “We’re trying to prepare for progress and growth for the future.”
The site is in Hale County, but the Demopolis Water Works and Sewer Board is running a sewer line along Highway 80 toward Uniontown right past the intersection. Officials from Hale County and Demopolis agreed on the annexation and a plan to share tax revenue generated from any business on the site.
The proposed 305-acre annexation site would include all four corners of the intersection, with the intersection at the center, according to Collins.
Despite the delay, Collins said that the project still has a lot going for it. State and federal economic development officials will like the fact that officials from Hale County and Demopolis are working together, and the sewer line is a “huge plus” for the site.
It would be even better if the water works board could lay a water line to the site as well, Collins said.
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