It’s official — Taco Bell is coming to Atmore.

Atmore Mayor Jim Staff and the members of the Atmore City Council unanimously approved the sale of a parcel of land in the Rivercane subdivision, to Tacala, LLC, the Vestavia Hills-based parent company of 164 Taco Bell franchises in the Southeast. The land is located on State Route 21, about 4.5 miles north of Atmore and near Exit 57 of Interstate 65, on land where the brick Rivercane sign previously sat.

City Attorney Larry Wettermark said that Tacala, LLC, is paying about $337,000 for the land, and hopes to begin construction in either late December or early January.

He said the company estimates the restaurant will have $1 million in annual sales, meaning $40,000 in sales taxes for the city of Atmore. He said the new restaurant would also create about 30 jobs.

“Because Rivercane is right on the interstate, we also expect that a lot of the sales tax receipts will be from people who are out of town,” he said. “This is a great thing for us because the taxes will stay here in Atmore and help our citizens.”

In late August, the Atmore Industrial Development Board voted unanimously to remove the Rivercane sign in order to better market the land, and Tacala, LLC, quickly moved to secure its purchase.