Sam’s Club opens Sept. 1

Publix opening Sept. 7

The Wake Forest Sam’s Club on Royal Cotton Road – the newly-named road parallel to Capital Boulevard running from Caveness Farm Avenue to the Walmart shopping center – will hold its grand opening Thursday, Sept. 1.

The festivities will begin at 8 a.m., but there are special deals before the grand opening, including a gift card worth up to $30 if you sign up as a new member. New business members can sign up for a $100 Plus Membership for only $45. The club manager is Buffy Bullard.

The club’s fuel station will open on Aug. 17. Membership teams will be on site and available to answer questions about joining the new club.

You can follow the club’s progress and get a behind-the-scenes look as the club readies for its grand opening by liking their Facebook page. Photos and additional information will be posted leading up to the Sept. 1 event.

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The grand opening for the Publix supermarket in The Shoppes at Heritage Village, 1030 Forestville Road, has been set for Wednesday, Sept. 7. Customers will be welcomed beginning at 7 a.m..

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A Starbucks is planned for a three-unit commercial building next to the Rite-Aid under construction on Rogers Road. Also planned for the building are a mobile phone store and a pizza shop.

There are already two Starbucks in Wake Forest, though not in stand-alone stores. There is one in the Super Target on Retail Drive and one just opened in the Harris-Teeter in the Heritage Station shopping center at Forestville and Rogers roads. The Harris-Teeter is expanding, including two small adjacent shops into its floor space, and renovating the entire store.

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The Wake Forest Planning Department is currently reviewing plans for several new commercial developments, including Lily’s Garden & Glass House, an event venue planned on Ligon Mill Road, 7 acres on the west side of the road between the Smith Creek and Margo’s Pond subdivisions. Senior Planner Charlie Yokley said the site plans are still under review. “That plan will only require administrative review and approval.”

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Other plans under review or awaiting action by the applicant include:

*Panera Bread at 11658 Northpark Drive

*981 Crossing at the intersection of Retail Drive and the N.C. 98 Bypass which could house Chipotle, Freddy’s Burgers and IHOP along with a jewelry store.

*Bank of America, which has purchased the outparcel at 919 Gateway Commons Circle which overlooks the intersection of Heritage Lake Road and the bypass.

*Rainbow Day Care at 903 Gateway Commons Circle, next door or a parcel away from the bank.

*Gateway Way Commons special use permit amendment to add parcels to the shopping center owned by Gateway Forest LLC of Raleigh

*U-Haul on Capital Boulevard, no address given

*A subdivision master plan for an 86-unit townhouse development in Traditions on 12 acres near the intersection of Royal Mill Avenue and Traditions Grande Boulevard.

*Wake Forest reservoir improvements are still on hold.

*Bobby Murray Chevrolet on Capital Boulevard

*St. Catherine of Siena Columbarium at 520 West Holding Avenue

*Tryon subdivision off Oak Grove Church Road and along Copper Beech Lane has all the necessary approvals for the 111 single-family lots in the first three phases, and land clearing is underway.

*Yokley said his office has “only had conversations with the potential developer of the Seminary property on Stadium Drive” which is reliably reported to be Wegman’s grocery store. Yokley also reported conversations with a possible developer for the Parker-Hannifin site on Wake Union Church Road.

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Plans for a Bo-Ku restaurant next to Wine and Beer 101 on Heritage Links Drive have fallen through with no announced replacement. The problem was the Heritage ban on visible roof-top air conditioning units.