By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A convenience store and fuel station is being built on the northeast corner of State Street and Lyford Road across from the future Hard Rock Casino.
QuikTrip, which has more than 900 stores across the country, is the first step to the development at 8070 E. State St., according to a city building permit and Vequity Construction, which is leading the construction project.
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The land is also zoned for two future outlots. Those could be potential restaurant, hotel or other commercial businesses, according to Nelson Sjostrom, the city’s manager of Construction & Development Services. Representatives of QuikTrip, which would develop the future parcels, could not be reached for comment.
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The city issued a building permit on May 24 valued at $575,000 for the nearly 8,300-square-foot development. Chicago-based Vequity Construction is the lead contract and Rockford-based Stenstrom is handling the fuel-related work.
The site is being developed in what promises to be a busy corridor once the 180,000-square-foot Hard Rock Casino and resort opens. The temporary casino at 610 N. Bell School road has averaged more than 53,000 admissions over each of the past three months, and that number is expected to grow once the full resort opens at East Street and Interstate 90.
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QuikTrip, not to be confused with the Wisconsin-based KwikTrip, is a privately held company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with more than 900 stores in 14 states, according to its website.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.