This major Taunton road's been a gas station desert for decades. Soon it will have two

TAUNTON — It’s gonna be a gas on Bay Street.

After decades of not having a single gas station on the four-mile-long Taunton thoroughfare, drivers can now look forward to two new gasoline and convenience store projects that are either being built or preparing to break ground.

“This is one of the best things to happen to Taunton in I don’t know how long,” gushed Brenda Fonseca, who works for Advantage Solutions, which provides product demonstrations for BJ’s Wholesale Club at 2085 Bay St.

“When I heard about it I was basically dancing a jig,” said Fonseca, a Virginia native who moved to Taunton in 1984.

The two Bay Street gas stations will operate within two miles of one another on the far north end of the street that bisects Interstate 495.

Where will gas stations be located?

One will sell Gulf gas and be located just north of I-495. That project has not yet broken ground.

The competing station at 1939 Bay St. is to be situated south of the interstate highway and will sell Mobil brand gas and diesel fuel.

In addition to I-495, upper Bay Street runs past Myles Standish Industrial Park and a plaza that includes not just BJ’s Wholesale Club, but also Northwoods Medical Center; Tractor Supply; Bluestone Bank; Wendy’s; Brack’s Grille and Tap; Dollar Tree; and a new Dunkin'.

Will staff at Morton Hospital get paid? Here's what happened in bankruptcy court

Mobil station looking to add beer and wine license

BD Management LLC’s Mobil station at 1939 Bay St. is a collaborative effort between local businessmen Bruce Thomas and his partner Daniel Lima.

In addition to being a Dunkin’ franchisee, Thomas, 57, previously developed a retail plaza at Harts Four Corners that’s now known as Thomas Place. The bustling plaza on County Street comprises a Cumberland Farms convenience store and gas station as well as tenants including Planet Fitness, Taco Bell and Domino’s Pizza.

Thomas and Lima said their total investment for the Bay Street project stands at “well over $5 million.” That includes purchase of the real estate and construction costs for the store, the 10-pump gas station and above-ground fuel tanks.

“The whole site has been lifted 6 to 8 feet,” Lima said.

He and Thomas, who have known each other since growing up on Winthrop Street, said they’d also like to bring in a smoothie and juice bar business such as Playa Bowls or The Blended Berry.

“We’re the only homegrown developers doing this,” Thomas said, referring to similar projects now underway in the Silver City. “We’re local guys who give back to the local community.”

They also say they’re interested in selling beer and wine once a liquor license becomes available.

Thomas said the 5,000-square-foot store, to be named Premier Convenience, will have the distinction of being the first convenience store to feature freshly made bagels courtesy of New York Bagel Company.

What are houses selling for in Taunton? Middleboro family farm sold for nearly $1.3 million: Weekly home sales

When will Mobil station open?

Lima and Thomas are shooting for an Aug. 1 “soft opening” for what will be their first commercial, joint business venture. The two previously collaborated on a residential housing project.

“There’s not one person who has driven down Bay Street who hasn’t said, ‘I wish there was a gas station around here,’” Lima said.

Harvard-based construction company South Coast Development LLC is the general contractor for the new Mobil station and convenience store.

“They’re the best gas station developers around,” Thomas said.

The owner of South Coast Development and a business partner in 1998 created the New England Farms “c-store” brand. They eventually built stores with self-serve gas on Winthrop Street in Taunton and Myricks Street in Berkley.

Gooey, gourmet cookies Middleboro man stumbles onto love of baking homemade cookies. What makes them so special?

Gulf will feature NY-style pizza,'elevated coffee'

Yatko isn’t a household name in the greater Taunton region, but the dual Northborough-based convenience store brand and Marlborough-based gasoline wholesale distributor is poised to become a gas and c-store player at 2318 Bay St.

“It will have visibility from (Interstate) 495 North, and it’s got a good traffic count,” said vice president Hussein Yatim, whose father and uncles went into business 30 years ago when they bought an old Exxon station in Worcester.

Yatim, 32, said the Taunton Yatko will feature coffee from Rhode Island-based Coffee Connection, which he describes as “an elevated coffee experience,” as well as the Cumberland company’s New York style “Slice” pizza.

When will gulf station open?

He says his family’s company is investing as much as $6 million into the project. Yatim says Yatko now has a portfolio of 22 convenience stores and gas stations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut and owns real estate associated with nine of those locations.

Yatim says the Taunton store and Gulf station should be open by late fall of this year. He said Yatko is currently developing five other c-store projects.

In addition to gas-brand loyalty programs for per-gallon discounts, Yatim says Yatko has its own rewards program for purchasing store items.

“Our brand will be very unique to that (southeastern Massachusetts) market,” he said.

Possibility for fast food restaurant next door

The property, previously owned by Taunton zoning board alternate member John Doherty and his wife Lisa, can also accommodate a second structure, according to Yatim.

He said that the second building, if built, could conceivably be utilized by a fast food chain.

But his family’s main focus for the near future is establishing the Yatko brand along the 495 corridor on Bay Street.

“It will be a nice store where a wife and the kids can come in and enjoy,” Yatim said.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: 2 gas stations coming to Bay Street in Taunton. When, where and more