A new Sheetz store and gas station that catalyzed weeks of public discussion will open for business on August 1.

According to a Facebook event for the grand opening, the day's activities will include food and drink samples, giveaways and prizes.

The event description also said that if patrons bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to Feeding America Southwest Virginia, they will receive a Sheetz branded thermal bag while supplies last.

The county's approval of the new store led to the demolition of several businesses that previously occupied the property. Even before that, some locals were up in arms and Board of Supervisors meetings.

Many of them delivered personal concerns about safety and traffic issues at a meeting in November of 2017.

"What you're going to create is a congestion of traffic into this location," one man told the board.

Another woman was concerned the Sheetz would bring prostitutes, calling them "lot lizards." She also asked one board member how he would feel about his grandchildren riding on a school bus traveling on the road past the intersection. Lastly, she made a promise well received by the audience, saying: "But I tell you this, the Devil will be wearing long Johns before I walk into a Sheetz station."

One man against the store said he thinks it's the first step for the road to begin looking like Williamson Rd. Another man said he was worried about the people who might loiter there at night.

"Every teen in the world will sit in the back of the parking lot and shine lights into neighborhood," he said.

Despite the hullabaloo, the store is slated to open next Thursday at 9 a.m.