2 weeks Ago
Buc-ee's , the Texas-based travel center chain with a cult-like following, plans to bring its popular beaver nuggets, dozens of fuel pumps and self-described world's cleanest bathrooms to the Pikes Peak region, just north of Colorado Springs. A proposal submitted to the town of Palmer Lake, north of Colorado Springs, has started a process that could lead to the annexation of roughly 25 acres southwest of Interstate 25 and County Line Road. That's where Buc-ee's plans to build a 74,000-square-foot travel center that would match the size of its first Colorado location that opened in March in Johnstown, north of Denver, Stan Beard, the chain's real estate and development director, said Monday.
"We love Colorado," Beard said. "We've had a really good experience with our Johnstown store. .
.. This site, on the same freeway (Interstate 25), is about an hour south of Denver and so it's a good separation for us.
"The state of Colorado has our kind of folks, travelers, going from one fun place to another to enjoy their summers and winters and we want to be right there in the middle of it so they can come enjoy our clean restrooms and really good barbecue," he said. A Buc-ee's employee prepares food for customers at the travel center's location in Johnstown, north of Denver. Buc-ee's opened its first Colorado location in March and now has proposed a similar, 74,000-square-foot travel center southwest of Interstate 25 and County Line Road near Palmer Lake in northern El Paso County.
THE GAZETTE FILE Buc-ee's often seeks out small communities on the edge of a large metro area, Beard said. In the case of Palmer Lake, the site at I-25 and County Line Road will offer Buc-ee's high visibility, with "80,000 cars zooming back and forth in front of it," he said. Palmer Lake officials have been welcoming in initial conversations about the travel center proposal, Beard said.
The project would mean an increase in local sales tax revenues, while Buc-ee's is prepared to help pay for improvements to the town's water system that will serve the travel center site, he said. "I would hope and I'd kind of believe at the end of the day that the city leadership is going to see that this is a needle mover for them, this is a game changer for the town of Palmer Lake," Beard said. Buc-ee's also has begun talks with the Colorado Department of Transportation and El Paso County officials over potential upgrades that will be needed at the I-25 and County Line Road intersection to accommodate travel center traffic, he said.
Colorado-themed Buc-ee's merchandise is for sale at the chain's location in Johnstown, north of Denver. Buc-ee's, the Texas-based chain of mammoth-sized travel centers, has proposed to build a location southwest of Interstate 25 and County Line Road near Palmer Lake in northern El Paso County. THE GAZETTE FILE Buc-ee's has contracted to purchase the I-25 and County Line Road site, Beard said; El Paso County land records show the property is owned by a Colorado Springs limited liability company.
In a best-case scenario, Buc-ee's would hope to begin construction on the travel center in a year, he said. When it opens, Buc-ee's would expect to employ about 175 to 225 full-time employees — workers who receive health coverage, paid vacation, a 401(k) and other benefits, Beard said. Starting pay for workers in Johnstown is $18 to $20 an hour, he said.
Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s has just 50 locations in 16 states, with the bulk of them in Texas. Even so, it's gained a sizable following among visitors who often see Buc-ee's as part of their road trip and even a tourist attraction. Its mammoth travel centers — roughly 30 times larger than some convenience stores — offer a wide variety of fresh food, snacks, gifts, apparel, toys and other items.
The chain's walking beaver mascot is a popular figure with visitors, while its super-sized washrooms — the Johnstown location has 34 stalls for women, 17 for men and 19 urinals — have daylong attendants to make sure they're clean and in what Buc-ee's calls "pristine" condition for travelers. Customers pose with Buc-ee's beaver mascot for the opening day of Colorado's first Buc-ee's location, which debuted in March in Johnstown, north of Denver. The Texas-based Buc-ee's has proposed building a similar travel center near Palmer Lake in northern El Paso County.
THE GAZETTE FILE "Ninety percent of our customers know that they're coming to a Buc-ee's before they ever get into their car," Beard said. "We are part of the trip. If you’re going to stop at Royal Gorge (the scenic Arkansas River canyon near Cañon City), also on your list is going to be the stop at Buc-ee's.
" And something else that sets Buc-ee's apart: It's not a truck stop and doesn't accommodate 18-wheel, tractor trailers, Beard said. "Those are different people," he said of the truck-driving crowd. "Our people are not truck drivers.
" Before Buc-ee's moves forward, however, it still needs regulatory approvals from Palmer Lake officials. Palmer Lake's board of trustees last month was presented with a petition for annexatio n from the I-25 and County Line Road property owner — a first step in a process that could lead to the town's annexation of the Buc-ee's location. The board has scheduled a Dec.
12 hearing when it would determine the site's eligibility for annexation and whether the property owner could then move forward with the annexation process, Palmer Lake Mayor Glant Havenar said in a Facebook post. The hearing isn't to annex the land, she stressed in response to questions from area residents. If the property owner is determined at the Dec.
12 hearing to be eligible to move forward on the annexation, a series of community meetings likely would be triggered where the public can learn more about the proposal, she said. "This process could be followed by an eventual annexation hearing, which is also open for public input," Havenar said in her post. "As reiterated, we do not yet know if the annexation request will be granted to proceed, but we are required to hold a hearing to ascertain eligibility.
" Town officials can't comment at this time on the possible pros and cons of the Buc-ee's proposal, she added. Because the Buc-ee's site isn't contiguous to Palmer Lake, it would require a so-called flagpole annexation. Under that sometimes controversial method, Palmer Lake would need to annex land along a street or road that would serve as the "pole" or connection to reach the larger desired parcel, or "flag," that's targeted for annexation.
As word spread on social media sites about the Buc-ee's proposal, some residents weren't happy. One Facebook commenter complained that Buc-ee's would "further destroy the beautiful area in the name of greed." Another commenter feared it would increase traffic congestion and become an eyesore.
For the most part, Beard said he had no response to the criticisms. The chain, however, has scheduled a meeting for 6 p.m.
Dec. 3 at Palmer Lake Elementary School, 115 Upper Glenway Road, to present details of its plan to area residents. "It's a commercially zoned tract on an interstate in between Colorado Springs and Denver," Beard said of the proposed Buc-ee's site.
"I mean, 95% of our customers will get off of that freeway, go into our store and get back on that freeway. So the impact to the physical town of Palmer Lake will be, I'd hate to say non-existent, but pretty close.".
