McCormick gas station to open at Oceana Drive and M 20.

Pictured is the site where the McCormick gas station will be built. The house located on the property will be moved in a few weeks.

McCormick gas station to open at Oceana Drive and M 20.

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By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.

NEW ERA — A McCormick gas station and convenience store is expected to open at the southwest corner of Oceana Drive and M 20 at the beginning of September.

A two-story house currently in that location is going to be moved in the coming weeks, said Owner Joel McCormick.

It will be relocated about one mile away on M 20 to the east, said McCormick.

Pre-construction work at the site began in late fall, and construction of the 4,800-square-foot store is expected to begin in March.

McCormick has other convenience stores on Fruitvale Road in Montague, White Lake Drive in Whitehall and Russell Road in Twin Lake. 

“We make the sites a little more open for truck traffic and travel trailers,” said McCormick. “We have quite a variety of different fuels.”

The new Oceana County store will resemble the Fruitvale Road store, which is the newest of the three existing McCormick stores. “As far as the layout, the appearance and size of the building, it will be the same.” 

McCormick expects to hire approximately 15 full-time and part-time workers at the new store. Store hours are expected to be 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

McCormick, who is from Shelby, and his son Jesse are partners in the business. “That’s my hometown, so I’m looking forward to it. We thought that would be a good corner and all of sudden, it was available.”

Hometown Pharmacy recently opened a distribution center nearby, and a Dollar General store was built at the corner about a year ago. More businesses are expected to develop in the area.

“That whole land that is there — once the gas station is up and running — is being parceled up and being developed for more commercial properties,” said Richard Raffaelli, supervisor of Shelby Township, which is north of M 20. “Our master plan is to build up that corridor. We’re working with two other businesses — I can’t tell you which ones yet — that want to come in there, bigger chains.”

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