by Kate Shunney
Morgan County planners last week approved a final Commercial Industrial Location Permit application by Rutter’s convenience stores to build a fueling center and store south of Berkeley Springs.
The 7-0 approval, which came at the end of a public hearing during the June 25 Planning Commission meeting, will go into effect immediately, giving contractors the ability to move ahead with site preparation and construction.
Planning Office staff member Alex Moore told the Planning Commission board that he recommended the approval and the county’s consulting engineer also recommended the project be permitted.
Sean Fernandez of Fox & Associates attended the hearing. He is a Project Manager with the Hagerstown firm associated with the Berkeley Springs Rutter’s project.
The Rutter’s will be built off Cavendish Drive, which is shared by the new Berkeley Springs Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office. Cavendish Drive is located 3.5 miles south of Berkeley Springs, off the west side of U.S. 522. 
The location is roughly three-quarters of a mile from the start of the future U.S. 522 bypass.
Fernandez said the store portion of the new Rutter’s would be 13,467 square feet in size. He said there would be 30 tractor trailer parking spaces and 49 automobile parking spaces around the store.
Rutter’s Store #115 will have four truck fueling islands in the rear of the store, separate from seven regular vehicle fueling islands in the front.
Underground fuel tanks will be located on the north side of the site.
In response to questions, Fernandez said there are no current plans to have electric vehicle charging stations at the new Rutter’s.
There will be two access points to the gas station and store off U.S. 522.
One entrance will be on the north side of the property, and will allow “right-in only” traffic to turn into the gas station from the southbound lane of U.S. 522.
Northbound traffic on U.S. 522 will be directed by a new traffic light at Cavendish Drive.
Cavendish Drive will have three lanes where it intersects with U.S. 522, according to site plans.
Traffic can pull into Cavendish Drive from U.S. 522 and drivers can exit Cavendish Drive from either a northbound turn lane or a southbound turn lane.
Damon Hall, Site Development Project Manager for Rutter’s, said in response to questions that construction could begin within months and the company is anticipating opening the new store and gas station in 8-10 months.
