Even as site work on a Buc-ee’s mega-convenience store has just begun in Smiths Grove, other large commercial projects could soon follow.

The 53,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s, in the plans since 2021 for a 30-acre tract across Interstate 65 from McDonald’s, will doubtless deliver a huge wakeup call to sleepy Smiths Grove, long known for its historic buildings and antique shops but soon to be a destination for lovers of the convenience store with the beaver mascot and seemingly endless supply of gas pumps.

Site work, being done by Bowling Green’s Scotty’s Contracting, started this week on a project sure to transform northern Warren County and alter the transportation network of the small city.

Meanwhile, other developments with potential to transform Bowling Green’s retail and restaurant environments could soon follow.

Menards, the Wisconsin-based home improvement retailer that was first approved in 2019 for a rezoning that was expected to lead to a location along Campbell Lane, is finally ready to move forward with those plans.

“We are still working our way through the planning process, but if all goes as we hope, construction should begin on a new Menards store in Bowling Green sometime this summer,” Jeff Abbott, Menards promotion manager, said in an email.

Like the Buc-ee’s project, Menards has seen delays since that original rezoning of 39.71 acres at Campbell Lane and Eastland Street (bounded by Highland Way, McIntosh Street and Merrick Place) from residential to highway business.

In the meantime, Menards continued its expansion into Kentucky, adding stores in Elizabethtown, Paducah and Louisville to its location in Owensboro.

Now, according to Abbott, a Bowling Green development plan that calls for retail strip centers and restaurants to be built on the acreage surrounding the 175,000-square-foot anchor store could be coming to fruition.

Another well-known company, this one in the restaurant business, is also making moves into Kentucky and has its sights set on Bowling Green.

Jack in the Box, the popular San Diego-based fast food chain that has grown to more than 2,200 locations but has had a limited presence in the eastern United States, is slowly changing that.

“We have not been in Kentucky before,” said Van Ingram, who works in franchise development for Jack in the Box. “We’re building some locations in Louisville. A couple of them should open in the next six to nine months.

“Our goal is to find a franchisee in Lexington, and we’d love to enter the Bowling Green market as well. We want to do three locations in the Bowling Green area: one near the university, one near (I-65) exit 22, and one in the Glasgow area.”

With its multifaceted menu that includes hamburgers, chicken, tacos, egg rolls, breakfast items and desserts, Jack in the Box could disrupt the local dining mix when it enters the market.

For now, though, the biggest disruption will come from Buc-ee’s.

The Texas-based chain has a following that is growing along with its expansion into Kentucky, Tennessee and other states throughout the Southeast. Its stores often draw traffic-snarling crowds who fuel up at the gas pumps outside and at the food court inside.

“It’s going to mean a whole different take on what goes on with traffic,” said Smiths Grove Mayor David Stiffey. “I’ve talked to people in other cities where other Buc-ee’s have been built, and they say it (Smiths Grove) is going to be a different place.”

Building on its experience in other areas, Buc-ee’s has taken steps to lessen the impact of the crowds sure to flock to the store that is projected to have 116 gas pumps and 565 parking spaces.

The company delayed beginning work on the Smiths Grove store while working with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials on a new plan for the I-65 exit 38 that leads to Smiths Grove.

Widening of the exit 38 exit ramps is in the works, along with widening the Ky. 101 road that will lead to Buc-ee’s. Also in the works is installation of two traffic lights along Ky. 101 and a roundabout at the main entrance to Buc-ee’s.

Those improvements are welcomed by Stiffey, along with the projected boost in the tax revenue for his city.

“The property tax, occupational tax and net profit sales tax will all be a big boost for us,” Stiffey said.

And possibly lead to more growth, the mayor hopes.

“Buc-ee’s will probably promote some more development and growth,” Stiffey said. “There are some things being talked about now, but I haven’t yet heard anything for certain.”

Stiffey expects a formal groundbreaking for Buc-ee’s to be held in early June, and he said the company timeline calls for the building to be completed in 13 to 14 months.

It’s a development worth waiting for, he said.

“The more growth you have, the more it’s going to help our city,” Stiffey said. “I’m certainly glad they’re willing to be in Smiths Grove.”