Controversial plans for the second Colorado location of the Texas travel chain Buc-ee\u2019s are making their debut in El Paso County\u2019s public hearing process.<\/p>\n
Interest in the project has been high from the start, defining over a year of local politics in the small town of Palmer Lake where it was originally proposed. El Paso County has dedicated a webpage<\/a> to expectations and rules on public comment etiquette ahead of the 9 a.m. Thursday meeting.<\/p>\n The five-member Board of County Commissioners will need to evaluate evidence, not \u201cpublic popularity,\u201d according to the page.<\/p>\n \u201cThe number of people testifying for or against a project will not outweigh evidence that the project meets the legal criteria for approval,\u201d the site reads.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a primer on the debate: <\/p>\n Buc-ee\u2019s wants a zoning determination<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s meeting will not decide whether a Buc-ee\u2019s can be built or not on the company\u2019s 30-acre Tri-Lakes parcel next to Interstate 25 near County Line Road. At hand instead is a specific question about zoning.<\/p>\n The land under consideration is zoned C-1, a commercial district that encompasses a hodgepodge of uses. Zoning determines how land can be used. It\u2019s a mechanism to separate incompatible uses, like residential and heavy industrial, and plan communities ahead of growth.<\/p>\n Earlier, developers asked the county to make an administrative judgment on whether a Buc-ee\u2019s fits into the approved uses of C-1. If it does, later approvals could be easier to obtain.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a cut-and-dried decision. While a convenience store is on the list of approved C-1 uses, gas stations and truck stops are not. Buc-ee\u2019s developers have arguments on the side of seeing the travel center as a convenience store, while those in opposition to the project have written in with other interpretations. <\/p>\n Anyone who\u2019s visited a Buc-ee\u2019s would likely agree it\u2019s more than one thing. The key is finding what use the project most resembles and whether it generally conforms to the zoning. The county\u2019s planning director, Meggan Herington, wrote in a letter that she could not say whether Buc-ee\u2019s fits the zoning.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on the definitions, historical approvals and comparative analysis, staff finds it difficult to classify the proposed use,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n The developers appealed, which triggers a review by the El Paso County commissioners at a public land-use hearing.<\/p>\n Where does Palmer Lake fall into this? <\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t, at least not anymore. Buc-ee\u2019s developers initially asked the town to annex the property back in 2024. The parcel sits about 3 miles from the small town\u2019s borders. In the deal eventually made public, Buc-ee\u2019s would have paid for new water infrastructure and other concessions in exchange for use of town services. <\/p>\n From the start, the project was deeply divisive. A definitive vote on Buc-ee\u2019s never made it to the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, which governs the town. The project was a catalyst for a special recall election<\/a>, lawsuits and months of mudslinging<\/a>.<\/p>\n In February, developers withdrew their application<\/a> without citing a reason. The town is trying to finalize the process, but problems with legal representation have complicated efforts.<\/p>\n All signs point to Buc-ee\u2019s continuing its commitment to building in the same location, this time via the jurisdiction that already governs the unincorporated land. Developers have already applied for well permits through the state.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s who of the debate<\/p>\n The county\u2019s Centennial Hall is likely to be packed Thursday morning. The county is advising people to carpool and allow extra time for parking. <\/p>\n In the past, this Buc-ee\u2019s project has spawned organized opposition from multiple corners of influence. Several political groups active in the Tri-Lakes region have joined legal action against Palmer Lake in relation to the project and other procedural matters.<\/p>\n One of the spearheads has been Integrity Matters, a Colorado Springs-based political organization that has been active in other local issues. The organization has come out strongly against the Buc-ee\u2019s zoning request. <\/p>\n The Monument town council signed a joint letter recently opposing the zoning request. <\/p>\n Back when Buc-ee\u2019s was still considered under an annexation agreement with Palmer Lake, Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet called on Buc-ee\u2019s founder Arch \u201cBeaver\u201d Aplin III to reconsider the location. The letter cited the project\u2019s proximity<\/a> to Douglas County\u2019s Greenland Ranch conservation easement.<\/p>\n Buc-ee\u2019s has not traditionally responded to media requests for comment on the project beyond status confirmation. The official owner and applicant is Buc-ee\u2019s EPCO, LLC. <\/p>\n The company is represented by Vertex Consulting, LLC, a Colorado Springs-based company that specializes in the land entitlement process, according to its website. If precedent holds, Vertex will likely be presenting on behalf of the project Thursday.<\/p>\n Why all the Buc-ee\u2019s hype? <\/p>\n Colorado\u2019s first Buc-ee\u2019s location opened two years ago in Johnstown. The chain advertises clean bathrooms, food like barbecue and \u201cbeaver nuggets\u201d and trademark merchandise. The brand does not allow tractor-trailers and typically has more than 100 gas pumps per location.<\/p>\n The chain has a cult following amplified by social media sites like TikTok. <\/p>\n The expanding brand has been in the news recently, and not just in Colorado. At a grand opening<\/a> in Arkansas on Aug. 17, Aplin signaled that the company preferred building in a \u201cconservative, business-friendly state.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m starting to realize life\u2019s too short to try to build in places that people don\u2019t appreciate what you\u2019re bringing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The company has also drawn attention over some of its recent copyright infringement lawsuits against other companies with cartoon animal logos, which prompted backlash in Ohio<\/a>. <\/p>\n For more information about the Buc-ee\u2019s project in El Paso County, including meeting rules for Thursday, visit the county\u2019s website<\/a>. <\/p>\n
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