A packed, daylong meeting on Thursday resulted in a win for the Texas travel center chain Buc-ee\u2019s, with El Paso County commissioners voting 4-1 to approve the developer\u2019s zoning appeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the burden of proof has been met here,\u201d said Commission Chair Carrie Geitner.<\/p>\n
The appeal centered on whether Buc-ee\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
After developers requested a review, the county\u2019s planning department determined administratively that it could not say whether Buc-ee\u2019s 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\u2019s as an allowed use in C-1. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s the last public meeting that will be held on the project; with zoning decided in favor of Buc-ee\u2019s, all other approvals will be administrative, with no further input from the commissioners or the public. <\/p>\n
County staff will review the plan, once submitted, for compliance with requirements on traffic, lighting, landscaping, parking and roadway improvements. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf the site development plan satisfies all applicable technical design requirements, it will be approved administratively,\u201d read a release from the county after the vote.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s and the developers\u2019 zoning interpretation.<\/p>\n
In a presentation, Nina Dossey, a Buc-ee\u2019s consultant with Vertex Consulting Services, argued that Buc-ee\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cCompatibility does not mean the same as,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Many of the speakers argued that a Buc-ee\u2019s, which markets to interstate travelers, would not serve the neighborhood and therefore was not a convenience store. Others pointed to the chain\u2019s gas sales \u2014 new locations typically have more than 100 gas pumps, in addition to retail and food sales.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommon sense tells us this is not a convenience store. I know it, and you know it,\u201d said John Suthers, former Colorado Springs mayor.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be commercial here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Some of the majority-opposition crowd started exiting the auditorium in frustration before the final vote, once the commissioners had expressed their positions. <\/p>\n
Geitner was steadfast in her explanation to the audience, acknowledging negativity around the project itself. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t change the rules mid-game if we don\u2019t get the desired outcome,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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