Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the correct location of the first Buc-ee’s built in Colorado.

Have thoughts about the possibility of a Buc-ee’s near Monument and Palmer Lake? Developers have invited the community to attend a public forum this week to share information about the proposed super-sized travel center.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Palmer Lake Elementary School at 115 Upper Glenway Road. 

If approved, the Buc-ee’s will be just the second built in Colorado after a Johnstown location opened north of Denver last year. The new location, north of downtown Monument along I-25, would be a similar size at about 74,000 square feet.

Since the proposal’s announcement, the plan has received mixed responses, with pushback from some who feel the travel center would be harmful to local residents. 

Texas-based Buc-ee’s eyes site north of Colorado Springs for its next giant-sized travel center

Known for its food, shopping and self-proclaimed “world’s cleanest bathrooms,” Buc-ee’s originated in Texas. Stan Beard, the chain’s real estate and development director, previously told The Gazette that the new proposed location would provide high visibility for hundreds of thousands of travelers along I-25 south of Denver each year. 

The chain typically builds in small communities outside of major population centers, he said. 

The newest Buc-ee’s plan will hinge on the approval of El Paso County, which is the current jurisdiction of the land site, and Palmer Lake, which would need to annex the land and provide services.

According to plans submitted to the county in November, the travel center would be built on a piece of land at the southwest corner of I-25 and County Line Road and east of Beacon Lite Road. The land would be a “flagpole” annexation if accepted into Palmer Lake, since the property does not border town limits. The town would need to annex a thin sliver of land connecting the property to the rest of Palmer Lake — hence “flagpole.” 

The town of Palmer Lake will be considering the annexation at a Dec. 12 meeting. Palmer Lake Mayor Glant Havenar said in a Facebook post on Nov. 3 that the meeting was not to accept the annexation, but to determine whether the request was eligible to move forward in the process. 

Havenar said that she and other town officials were staying neutral on the issue at this point and said she wanted to “learn as much as possible” about the project. 

“At this stage, we cannot comment on the project, whether we believe it meets eligibility, or share any thoughts or opinions on its viability and merits,” she said. 

The travel center with a cult customer following has seen some criticism on social media since the announcement of the plan for a second Colorado location. One online petition to stop the annexation has surpassed 1,800 signatures.

Buc-ee’s opens in Colorado

The petition, whose author could not be reached for comment, cites proximity to the nearby Woodmoor neighborhood as an objection to Buc-ee’s, claiming it would bring traffic, crime and harm to local businesses. 

Other commenters have raised concerns that the location’s elevation on Monument Hill would be prone to heavy snow and ice in the winter. 

Though a full project plan has not yet been submitted to Palmer Lake, preliminary documents outline a major upgrade in Palmer Lake’s water capacity. The annexation impact report submitted to the county for the project in November estimates a “sizable” extension of Palmer Lake’s water system of about 860,000 gallons per month, to be constructed and paid for by the developers. 

The impact report also anticipates upgrades to surrounding roadways. The property, already zoned for commercial use, is identified as a possible “retail node” in Palmer Lake Community Master Plan.