Slow Progress Toward a Royal Farms Store

James Rada, Jr.

As the Rutter’s in Emmitsburg begins to take shape, people have wondered if another Rutter’s is going to be built on the old Shamrock property along Route 15.

The 2.7-acre property sold last year to Two Farms, Inc. of Baltimore for just under $4 million. Two Farms is a holding company for properties for Royal Farm Stores.

Royal Farms is a convenience store/gas station chain, much like Sheetz and Rutter’s. It is well known for its fresh-cooked chicken. The chain has been around since 1959 and has 205 locations in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Plans for how the Farm Store will look and what it will offer are up in the air. At one point a truck stop was proposed, which Frederick County quickly shot down because it does not allow truck stops.

The Town of Thurmont approached Two Farms about possibly annexing the property so that it could be connected to the municipal water and sewer systems. However, Two Farms believes the well and septic system on the property will be sufficient.

The building is currently having any asbestos removed and is expected to be demolished this spring, according to communications between Two Farms and the Town of Thurmont. Site work could begin this summer.

The Royal Farms Store is expected to be built between the old Shamrock restaurant and Franklinville Road. Traffic flow in and out of the location and across Route 15 is expected to complicate things. It is believed that the Franklinville Road crossover of Route 15 will have to be closed and northbound traffic rerouted to Route 15. This has yet to be determined, though, as things still seem in the early stages