I’m not saying a new Sheetz gas station is going to win the Pritzker Architectural Prize or become a cherished icon of Tunnel Road’s, ahem, skyline.
But it sure would beat the current Mountaineer Inn. If you haven’t noticed, the run-down motor court, not to mention its offensive giant hillbilly sign out front, has become a real eyesore on that venerable commercial strip known for chain restaurants, hotels and a steady stream of unhoused folks pushing shopping carts and panhandling at intersections.
Last week the news broke that Sheetz, which has been on a building spree in the Fletcher-Mountain Home-Arden area, with three new stores, is eyeballing the defunct Mountaineer Inn at 155 Tunnel Road. The news emerged because this Thursday Sheetz will have an “early assistance” meeting with the City of Asheville “to receive feedback from city review staff” on a potential Sheetz store at the location, according to city spokesperson Kim Miller…