Why RaceTrac, Chick-fil-A and Piedmont Put This Highway 316 Development Site on the Map

Highway 316 is steadily becoming one of Northeast Georgia’s most important commercial growth corridors. RaceTrac, Chick-fil-A, Piedmont and Barrow Crossing have already established repeat customer activity around the interchange.”

-Paul Rutledge of Extended Reach USA

A 7.46-acre commercial development site at Highway 81 and Highway 316 in Bethlehem, Georgia, sits within a corridor attracting major infrastructure investment, rapid population growth and nationally recognized brands.

Adjacent to RaceTrac and near Chick-fil-A, Piedmont Physicians, Target, Publix and other established retailers, the property offers developers, investors and tenants something increasingly difficult to find in fast-growing suburban markets: developable acreage near an established commercial node with regional highway access.

The opportunity is larger than one parcel. Highway 316 is being reshaped into a more efficient connection between metro Atlanta and Athens, while Barrow County continues adding residents, rooftops and consumer demand. Together, those trends strengthen the case for new retail, restaurant, medical and service development around Bethlehem.

A 7.46-Acre Commercial Opportunity Beside RaceTrac

The site is listed as approximately 7.46 acres at Highway 81 and Highway 316 and is adjacent to RaceTrac Store No. 2544. Property marketing information identifies the land as GC-zoned in Barrow County, with a five-mile population of 49,638 and an average household income of $88,640. Buyers should independently confirm zoning, utilities, access, development standards and permitted uses as part of their due diligence.

RaceTrac’s location beside the property is commercially significant. The Bethlehem store at 839 Loganville Highway operates 24 hours a day and offers gasoline, diesel, prepared food, beverages and fleet-oriented amenities. A convenience store at a highway interchange can serve commuters, nearby residents, contractors and travelers throughout the day, generating recurring activity rather than depending exclusively on occasional destination visits.

RaceTrac adjacency does not guarantee the success of another development, but it helps establish consumer familiarity with the location. For restaurants, service businesses, medical users and convenience-oriented retailers, an existing high-frequency brand may reduce the challenge of introducing customers to a new commercial site.

Chick-fil-A and Piedmont Add Restaurant and Healthcare Demand

Chick-fil-A operates nearby at 97 Shephard Lane, offering dine-in, drive-thru, delivery and catering services. Its presence indicates that national restaurant operators recognize the area’s combination of residential growth, commuter movement and established retail traffic.

Piedmont Physicians of Bethlehem is located at 340 Exchange Boulevard, just off Highway 316. The primary-care practice gives the area a recognizable healthcare presence and helps generate weekday traffic that complements the morning, evening and weekend activity produced by restaurants and retailers.

This mixture matters to commercial real estate decision-makers. Retailers can benefit from nearby healthcare workers and patients. Medical users benefit from accessible food, pharmacy and service options. Restaurants gain exposure to commuters, shoppers, residents and employees.

The result is a more diversified demand base than a property dependent on only one customer group or traffic generator.

Barrow Crossing Creates a Major Retail Ecosystem

The Highway 81 and Highway 316 intersection is also supported by Barrow Crossing, a 327,563-square-foot regional shopping center.

Its tenant lineup includes Publix, Target, Belk, Old Navy, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Ulta, Michaels, PetSmart and Five Below, along with restaurants, healthcare providers and service businesses. The center reports approximately 46,000 vehicles per day passing the property and a five-mile population exceeding 46,000.

These brands help define the area as a regional shopping destination for Bethlehem, Winder and surrounding Barrow County communities. They also create opportunities for complementary businesses that may not need or want space inside a major power center.

Potential concepts for the 7.46-acre site could include freestanding restaurants, urgent care, dental or veterinary services, childcare, financial services, automotive businesses, neighborhood retail or a coordinated multi-tenant development. Any future use would remain subject to zoning, access, engineering, utility availability and government approvals.

The property therefore benefits from more than its RaceTrac adjacency. It is positioned near a cluster of national brands that collectively generate repeat trips and reinforce the Highway 81 and Highway 316 area as one of Barrow County’s principal commercial nodes.

Barrow County Has Grown Nearly 20% Since 2020

Retail and service expansion generally follows rooftops, and Barrow County has been adding them quickly.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the county’s population increased from a 2020 estimate base of 83,575 to 99,773 in 2025. That represents growth of approximately 19.4% in only five years. Barrow County also recorded 1,584 building permits in 2025, another indication of continued residential construction and household formation.

Population growth creates demand for restaurants, healthcare providers, personal services, childcare, home-related businesses and everyday retail. It can also change how national and regional tenants evaluate a market.

A location that once served a smaller local population can gradually become part of a broader suburban trade area extending toward Gwinnett County, Winder, Athens and other Northeast Georgia communities.

Highway 316 Is Receiving Major Infrastructure Investment

One of the strongest aspects of the site’s commercial real estate story is what is happening across Highway 316.

Georgia’s amended fiscal 2026 budget includes $185 million for interchange conversions on SR 316. The state is pursuing a long-term overhaul of the approximately 40-mile corridor between Interstate 85 and the Athens area, with projects intended to replace signalized intersections, reduce conflict points and improve regional mobility.

Highway 81 already crosses SR 316 through a full diamond interchange, positioning the property at an established access point along the evolving corridor. GDOT has also identified 15 proposed Highway 316 projects within Barrow County, including additional grade-separated intersections and access improvements.

As more of Highway 316 functions like a limited-access route, established interchanges could become increasingly important gateways for commercial activity.

The corridor is also attracting major economic-development projects. In neighboring Gwinnett County, global biopharmaceutical company UCB selected the 2,000-acre Rowen development along Highway 316 for a planned $2 billion manufacturing campus. The project is expected to create more than 330 permanent jobs, in addition to temporary construction employment.

Bethlehem is not directly adjacent to Rowen, but both locations participate in the same Atlanta-to-Athens growth corridor, where transportation, employment, residential construction and commercial development are becoming increasingly connected.

Why Developers and Tenants Should Watch This Bethlehem Site

The commercial real estate case for Highway 81 and Highway 316 rests on several layers of demand: an adjacent 24-hour RaceTrac, nearby Chick-fil-A and Piedmont Physicians, a major retail center, fast county population growth and substantial public investment in Highway 316.

For developers, 7.46 acres may provide flexibility for a larger user, multiple outparcels or a coordinated commercial project, subject to access, utilities, engineering and zoning requirements.

For tenants, the property offers a position within an established commercial environment rather than requiring a brand to create a destination from scratch.

The strongest story is not that Bethlehem may grow someday. The market has already attracted RaceTrac, Chick-fil-A, Piedmont, Target, Publix and other major operators while Georgia invests heavily in the corridor connecting Atlanta and Athens.

This available Highway 316 site gives commercial real estate professionals an opportunity to evaluate where the next layer of that growth could occur.