The company cites local governance challenges after a year of recalls, resignations, lawsuits and debate, but other Colorado communities signal interest.
PALMER LAKE, Colo. — Buc-ee’s, the Texas-based travel center chain known for its massive roadside stops, has withdrawn its application to annex roughly 25 acres into the Town of Palmer Lake, according to town officials and the company. The decision follows more than a year of public meetings, legal challenges and political upheaval in the small El Paso County town.
Located between Beacon Lite Road and I-25, the proposal dominated civic life in Palmer Lake.
“This has been pretty much the one topic for a year and a half,” said Roger Moseley, a Palmer Lake trustee said. “I think it’s time we paid attention to other things that are important to the town.”
In a statement, Stan Beard, Buc-ee’s director of real estate and development, said, “After a thorough assessment of the current climate and governance challenges at the Town of Palmer Lake, Buc-ee’s has withdrawn its annexation application. This decision is not a reflection of Buc-ee’s interest in the community, but rather a step back to thoughtfully consider options under more stable and clearly defined circumstances. Buc-ee’s will provide additional comment when and if circumstances change.”
The Town of Palmer Lake noted it had “followed the established state annexation process, including public notice and opportunities for community input,” and encouraged residents to attend public meetings.
For some local leaders and residents, the appeal was economic.
“It was attractive because of the tax and income that we could get from their retail sales, and a little bit more money in the town would always be helpful,” Moseley said.
But the scale of the proposed development drew strong opposition.
“It was a challenge because they wanted quite a bit of our water resources,” Moseley said.
He and others raised concerns about water use, traffic and impacts on open space near the site.
Opponents noted that Colorado’s governor and both U.S. senators publicly expressed concern about the location.
“When the governor and both of our senators say this is a bad location because they were concerned about the open space just north of here — why that didn’t have more of an effect,” Moseley said.
The fight reshaped local politics.
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“There’s a lot of controversy in the town about this application,” Moseley said, expressing hope that the withdrawal “will help settle things down.” He added, “It would be a relief. We would like to move on to other topics.”
Darcy Schoening, a MAGA activist and former state GOP chair candidate, previously made headlines during the dispute after sharing private text messages from the town’s former mayor.
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Despite the withdrawal, Schoening does not see the matter as settled.
“I believe that the pulling of this petition — this annexation request — is probably just the next step of what they’re going to do,” she said. “I still believe there will be a Buc-ee’s in this general vicinity … and the only difference is that the tax revenue will go straight into the county vs. Palmer Lake.”
Moseley also expressed uncertainty.
“There’s no guarantee either way that they won’t come here because they can go to the county,” he said.
Advocacy group Integrity Matters, who filed a lawsuit against the town earlier this year relating to the project, called the withdrawal the result of “more than a year of sustained, informed, and lawful opposition,” citing “four recall efforts, five resignations, and a historic, voter-initiated annexation ballot measure in which nearly 70% of voters overwhelmingly chose to return annexation power to the people.”
The group said the decision “reflects what residents have been saying all along: this location was wrong.”
Integrity Matters also warned, “If Buc-ee’s chooses to continue pursuing this location despite such overwhelming opposition… it raises a fundamental question about what kind of business partner they intend to be. Ignoring this many people, this much evidence, and this many red flags is not persistence; it is disregard.”
Other communities have signaled interest. Pueblo, Fountain and Lamar city leaders have raised their hands all publicly saying they would welcome Buc-ee’s. In October, Pueblo City Council voted on a resolution showing its support for a Buc-ee’s.
In Lamar, a southeastern Colorado town, Mayor Kirk Crespin said the city was “surprised” by the withdrawal, but “encouraged to hear they are still exploring other locations in the region.”
He described Lamar as “ideally positioned” at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 287 along the Ports-to-Plains Corridor and said the city would welcome the sales tax revenue, tourism and jobs a Buc-ee’s could bring.
The City of Fountain said it is “open to having the discussion with Buc-ee’s,” adding that it would be “a great conversation to see how they could fit into the southern part of El Paso County and tap into the robust market that would include Pueblo and other neighboring regions.”
For now, the land outside Palmer Lake remains open prairie beside the highway. Whether the company’s distinctive beaver logo will ever rise there is uncertain.
“They could’ve come on the 19th of February … and completed their case,” Moseley said of earlier hearings. “But evidently thought it was maybe too big an issue now. I’m not sure.”