HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WKEF) – Excitement is building in Huber Heights as Buc-ee’s celebrated an official groundbreaking Thursday.

While most locations are 50,000 square feet, Buc-ee’s President Arch “Beaver” Aplin said the Huber Heights location will be much larger.

“This is the new prototype that we just started building, so it’s one of the largest, and we’ve only built a few, but we just felt there was enough land in this location. We believe there’s a business opportunity here for the 74,000-foot store,” Aplin said.

The company is already looking more closely to the future in Ohio.

“This is our first, but I really hope it won’t be our last,” Aplin said.

Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore said it was an exciting day not only for his city, but for the county and Dayton as he described the impact this could have on the region.

“We’re kind of overlooked by Cincinnati and Columbus, but the I-70/75 intersection is three miles down the road,” Gore said. “How many people are going to come here for a day trip? They’re not just going to stop at Buc-ee’s and then drive two or three hours back to where they came from. They’re going to see what else is out there.”

Aplin said Buc-ee’s has evolved over 42 years and he is excited about the economic impact the stores will have on the area. He expects more than 200 full-time jobs will be available.

The goal is to complete the project in less than a year and a half and to return to the construction site for a grand opening ceremony in December 2025.