A Sheetz location near Bellefonte is set to reopen after the old store was demolished and a new one constructed over the last five and a half months.
The new convenience store and gas station at 2850 Benner Pike in Benner Township will open at 10 a.m. Friday, a Sheetz spokesperson told StateCollege.com.
Sheetz closed the Bellefonte-area location on July 7 to demolish the existing, 13-year-old store and build an updated model. During the closure, employees were offered positions at other locations.
In addition to a new 6,139-square-foot building with indoor and outdoor seating, the rebuilt Sheetz has added a drive-through and a new car wash. The gas station has pumps for 12 vehicles.
The reopening of the store just off Interstate 99 comes in time for a busy weekend in Centre County, with Penn State hosting its first College Football Playoff game and fall commencement, as well as holiday travel getting underway.
Rebuilds to meet updated design models aren’t unusual for Sheetz. In Centre County, the company’s stores on Shiloh Road, Valley Vista Drive and North Atherton Street in Patton Township have all been reconstructed in the last decade.
The updated Sheetz is among several new projects on the busy Benner Pike corridor. A new McDonald’s opened in June at the Paradise Road intersection, where nearby another developer is also looking to build an Arby’s restaurant.
Construction is underway on two new hotels: a Tru by Hilton next to G.M. McCrossin and across from Bellefonte Lanes, and a dual-brand Avid and Candlewood Suites at the Amberleigh Lane intersection.
Directly across from Sheetz near the Eagle Point intersection, rival Wawa has submitted plans for one of its first Centre County locations.
