Buc-ee’s eyes Stafford for third Va. location

The most recognized — perhaps only — hat-wearing beaver in the travel center industry is eyeing a third location in Virginia, this time in Stafford County.

Texas-based travel center chain Buc-ee’s has submitted a conditional use permit application to Stafford County for a 74,000-square-foot travel center with 120 fueling stations on about 36 acres on the eastern side of Austin Ridge Drive between Courthouse Road and Shield Road, off Exit 140 of Interstate 95. A general development plan also shows 24 Tesla charging stations, 833 parking spaces, a dozen bus/RV spaces and a bike plaza. The center is estimated to create 200 jobs, according to a project narrative, with the average pay starting at $16 to $19 per hour along with health benefits and 401(K) participation.

Buc-ee’s has not yet purchased the land for the Stafford County location. The land is currently owned by Rocky Ridge LLC, according to the CUP application.

The application is under staff review and has not been scheduled for public hearings before the county’s planning commission or board of supervisors. The process could take up to nine months from submission to when it gets to the board of supervisors. The application does not include a timeline for the project.

At the end of January, Buc-ee’s broke ground on a travel center in Rockingham County after purchasing 21.3 acres for $6.6 million in September 2023. Construction on that center is expected to take 17 months.

Just before that purchase, Buc-ee’s paid $5.6 million for nearly 28 acres in New Kent County at Exit 211 off Interstate 64. Last March, Buc-ee’s filed for a conditional use permit for signage in New Kent.

Buc-ee’s is planning to have four total Virginia locations, according a June 2023 news release from S.L. Nusbaum Realty.

Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s has 34 stores in Texas and 14 centers in other states, including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Colorado.