Site Preparation Underway for New North Lima Travel Center

NORTH LIMA, Ohio – After more than two years of consideration, a Beaver Township official reports Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores should begin construction on a new travel center along Market Street within 90 days.

“We’re excited that it’s really coming to fruition after working on it for two years,” said Richard Martin, Beaver Township zoning inspector. “They’d like to start construction in 90 days.”

Workers have started to remove trees and brush from a 15-acre site just south of the Ohio Turnpike interchange on the east side of Market Street.  

Last year, the township’s zoning board helped clear the way for the project by awarding it a conditional use permit for a tire shop and drive-thru at the site. The board also approved signage for the new project.

Martin said last week he received a call from an architectural and engineering firm based in Oklahoma that has developed Love’s Travel Centers. He added that the firm planned to deliver civil engineering drawings within the 90-day timeframe, and then the township will host a pre-construction meeting before work begins at the site.

A representative of Love’s who appeared before the zoning board last year said the typical investment for a travel plaza of this size is between $12 million and $15 million.  

The North Lima location would be the second Love’s Travel Stop in the Mahoning Valley, according to the company’s website. The company operates a Travel Stop in Hubbard along state Route 62 at the Interstate 80 interchange. Love’s also operates a Speedco Truck Lube and Tires station in Girard, the website says.

Love’s, based in Oklahoma City, boasts more than 500 locations across the country in 41 states and employs more than 25,000 people, according to the company’s website.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.