A packed, daylong meeting on Thursday resulted in a win for the Texas travel center chain Buc-ee’s, with El Paso County commissioners voting 4-1 to approve the developer’s zoning appeal.
“I think the burden of proof has been met here,” said Commission Chair Carrie Geitner.
The appeal centered on whether Buc-ee’s is a use that would fit the zoning district that governs the parcel where developers want to build. The land, at the southwest corner of County Line Road and Interstate 25, is zoned C-1 commercial. C-1 permits a wide range of uses. Among them are convenience stores, but gas stations and truck stops are not.
After developers requested a review, the county’s planning department determined administratively that it could not say whether Buc-ee’s would fit C-1. Developers then appealed to the commissioners, which triggered the public meeting. Commissioner Bill Wysong was the sole vote against, with Commissioners Geitner, Holly Williams, Cory Applegate and Lauren Nelson voting in favor of approving Buc-ee’s as an allowed use in C-1.
It’s the last public meeting that will be held on the project; with zoning decided in favor of Buc-ee’s, all other approvals will be administrative, with no further input from the commissioners or the public.
County staff will review the plan, once submitted, for compliance with requirements on traffic, lighting, landscaping, parking and roadway improvements.
“If the site development plan satisfies all applicable technical design requirements, it will be approved administratively,” read a release from the county after the vote.
The hearing filled Centennial Hall to capacity. More than 160 speakers were queued throughout the day, taking turns speaking from three different lecterns. Most were in opposition to Buc-ee’s and the developers’ zoning interpretation.
In a presentation, Nina Dossey, a Buc-ee’s consultant with Vertex Consulting Services, argued that Buc-ee’s essentially fit the definition of a convenience store and matched the intent of the zoning district. She compared the project to other commercial uses of land along Interstate 25 in northern El Paso County that served travelers or had a similar impact on the surrounding community.
“Compatibility does not mean the same as,” she said.
Many of the speakers argued that a Buc-ee’s, which markets to interstate travelers, would not serve the neighborhood and therefore was not a convenience store. Others pointed to the chain’s gas sales — new locations typically have more than 100 gas pumps, in addition to retail and food sales.
“Common sense tells us this is not a convenience store. I know it, and you know it,” said John Suthers, former Colorado Springs mayor.
In explaining her decision, Nelson said other uses of C-1 did cater to travelers and that the land had been zoned for commercial use for nearly 70 years.
“There will be commercial here,” she said.
Some of the majority-opposition crowd started exiting the auditorium in frustration before the final vote, once the commissioners had expressed their positions.
Geitner was steadfast in her explanation to the audience, acknowledging negativity around the project itself.
“We can’t change the rules mid-game if we don’t get the desired outcome,” she said.