Wally’s supersize gas station making final steps before breaking ground near KC
As a supersize gas station and convenience store rolls into Independence, city officials are expected to approve a funding plan to revitalize the surrounding area.
The world’s largest Wally’s is set to break ground in Independence in the coming months, with construction expected to conclude in 2027. The Independence City Council approved a plan for the supersize gas station and convenience store in October 2025, and the city entered into a “redevelopment agreement” with the St. Louis-based company in February.
Wally’s is often compared to Buc-ee’s and is known for its size, with most franchises covering upwards of 30,000 square feet. The Independence Wally’s will be built on 19 acres and is planned to span 54,000 square feet. It will feature 84 gas pumps and 12 electric vehicle charging stations.
The council will vote next week on whether to authorize $12 million in bonds for the Wally’s construction project, including special revenue bonds and funding from a TIF district. The funding structure is expected to pass.
TIF districts are used by local governments to fund projects in areas that require some level of development costs. The city issues funding in the form of bonds, which is then reimbursed by new property tax revenue collected in the area in future years.
The proposed TIF district for the Wally’s is 21 acres wide, drawing a circle around the gas station. If it passes, any additional tax revenue over what the area generated in 2025 would go toward reimbursing the developer for some project costs. The TIF district would be in place for 23 years. .
In order to bring the gas station to Independence, developers will have to create new landscaping and parking structures in the plaza, which sits in a commercial corridor once anchored by a K-Mart. The development project will also involve street and intersection improvements in the surrounding area, including upgrades to ramps on and off of Interstate 70 and Noland Road.
Street improvements are expected to cost about $10 million, while the entire development project will cost an anticipated $53 million and will include the removal of other “blighted buildings” in the plaza, according to city records. The developer will front all project costs, while the city will slowly reimburse some project costs, up to $8.6 million, plus “financing and administration expenses,” with revenue generated from the TIF.
The city will also implement a special 1% sales tax on the redevelopment area, gathering revenue which will contribute to the $8.6 million reimbursement in case the TIF does not generate enough property tax revenue on its own.
City officials began considering the use of a TIF district in November. Council members initially wrote that they expected to reimburse $10.8 million in project costs over time, with TIF revenue accounting for about $7.35 million.
The city anticipates that the Wally’s will eventually employ 200 people full-time, with the TIF-funded construction work expected to create 163 year-long contract jobs in construction.
