Palmer Lake’s planning commission advised town officials Wednesday night to rethink its existing plans to annex land to build the second Buc-ee’s travel center in Colorado, saying the proposed development would violate the town’s master plan.
The planning board voted 4-1 against recommending the Texas chain’s annexation request to the Board of Trustees, who will have the final say whether or not to approve the 74,000-square-foot convenience store and gas station on the southwestern corner of Interstate 25 and County Line Road in El Paso County.
The proposal has thrown Palmer Lake, its neighbors and town officials into a bitter battle over land use and conservation, transparency and the future of the small town north of Colorado Springs.
Planning commissioners Matt Stephen, Bill Fisher, Herb Tomitsch and Mike Beeson did not recommend the trustees approve the proposed Buc-ee’s plan as it is written, with concerns that the development was too big, that it failed to maintain Palmer Lake’s small town character, among other concerns about light pollution and the proposed travel center’s water demand.
“This site is incredibly beautiful. The sprawl kind of stopped at Monument,” Fisher said.
“The master plan expects commercial development at this site, but it expects them with some controls,” he added.
Fisher recommended scaling back the size of the parking lot, conserving water through green building practices and cutting down on the site’s lighting.
Commission Chair Charlie Ihlenfeld disagreed that the proposal would violate the town’s master plan and commitment to a “small town feel,” arguing that the gas station would be built more than two miles from town.
He said he recommended the development under the condition the sign is built no taller than 75 feet, which Buc-ee’s developers have agreed to, and if nearby bike and hiking trails are considered.
Attendees cheered after the 2.5-hour meeting was adjourned.
Next week, the Board of Trustees will meet to discuss the planning commission’s recommendations.
Pushback against the proposal has sparked lawsuits, a recall election against two elected trustees and the former mayor’s resignation. It has drawn attention from John Malone, who was at one time the largest private landowner in the country, and Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.
Their concerns include traffic, water, light pollution and conservation. The proposed location for the annexation is adjacent to Greenland Ranch, one of the Front Range’s largest protected open spaces that was formed through a massive land deal 25 years ago to keep fast-growing Colorado Springs and Denver from merging into a giant megapolis.
“This so-called ‘flagpole annexation’ goes beyond a local land use issue. It would scar land that Colorado families have fought to protect for decades, drain our precious water resources, and flood a treasured landscape with noise, traffic, and light,” Bennet said in a statement last week. “It will affect millions of Coloradans who rely on this corridor, value our wildlife, and cherish the open spaces that define our state.”
The planning commission’s recommendation comes after a special meeting in May when the Board of Trustees voted 6-1 to approve the site’s eligibility for annexation.
Buc-ee’s wants to develop its store on nearly 25 acres to include 120 fuel pumps, 12 electric vehicle charging stations and 780 parking spaces. The gas station and convenience store chain has more than 50 locations across the country, including Colorado’s first location in Johnstown, and has garnered a devoted following.
Supporters of the Palmer Lake project say it could bring money to the town of 2,500. A fiscal impact analysis by Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. estimates the Buc-ee’s would generate about $955,087 in sales tax revenue for the town in 2027.
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