Rick Kelley/Valley Morning Star

A crew with a backhoe has already begun developing the Unity Park Area across the road from the site of the new truck plaza in Combes. Workers are installing a storm drainage system at the site, which sits right behind the Stripes.

COMBES — A new filing with the state shows Love’s Travel Stop and Country Store will invest around $10 million in a facility which is the centerpiece of this city’s ambitious Unity Park Area project.

The filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation shows Oklahoma City-based Love’s plans a major investment, consisting of a 9,253-square-foot facility on 14 acres at the northeast corner of I-69E and FM 508.

“The company typically invests between $10 million to $15 million in a new location and the store in Combes will fall in line with that,” Caitlyn Campbell, director of communications for Love’s, said via email. “With Love’s already in Brownsville, Donna, Edinburg, Laredo and Kingsville, professional truck drivers and four-wheel customers will continue to have a network of Love’s locations in South Texas to get them back on the road safely and quickly.”

The completion date for the new truck plaza is sometime in 2023, Campbell said. The truck plaza will feature two restaurants, a Godfather’s Pizza and a Chester’s Chicken, she added.

Combes Mayor Marc Sanchez has said he expects the new travel plaza’s economic impact will generate millions annually for his city and the area.

“It’s a great commitment. In fact, we just got the building plans yesterday and we’re reviewing them,” the mayor said last week. “We’re excited. It’s exciting for north Cameron County, for our city, as well as for Harlingen and all around our area here.”

The new travel stop is part of a larger project planned for Combes called the Unity Park Area, with both projects totaling 26 acres, and is located across FM 508 behind Stripes. Proposals include plans for a hotel, wellness center, retail plazas, shopping, residential and a walking trail with multiple lakes.

Last year the city issued $4.5 million in bonds which will be used for the necessary infrastructure improvements for the project.

“We’re breaking ground there,” Sanchez said. “We’re actually installing the stormwater drain system, and we’re starting to do some sewer at the front of the property, which goes toward Rio Hondo from the corner of I-69 where Stripes is at toward Nixon Road.”

Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores is a family-owned chain with more than 500 truck stops and convenience stores in 41 states. Last year, the company did about $20 billion in sales.

The company, ranked as the 17th-largest privately owned American firm by Forbes, employs about 25,000 people.