Stafford delays voting on proposed Buc-ee’s

You can’t always get what you want. That goes for beavers too.

On Wednesday, the Stafford County Planning Commission voted 6-1 to defer requests from Texas retail chain Buc-ee’s for a rezoning and conditional use permit to build a 74,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s mega travel center on the east side of Austin Ridge Drive between Courthouse Road and Shield Road, off Exit 140 on Interstate 95. The matter will be revisited Jan. 14.

After reviewing a traffic impact analysis and generalized development plan for the proposed travel center, the Virginia Department of Transportation made 86 comments on the plan.

“I’ve never seen so many comments from VDOT,” said Steven Apicella, chair of the county planning commission.

VDOT’s queries covered matters like mitigation measures, vehicle queues and signal spacing.

“With so many transportation issues still not yet resolved, why is this application in front of the commission at this time?” Apicella asked.

Because the minimum requirements had been met, county Director of Planning and Zoning Mike Zuraf responded, adding, “The applicant does have the right to request that things move forward to a public hearing.”

Apicella said the commission needs more time to properly consider the proposal.  “I think we’re forcing this to happen too fast, and there’s no rush,” he said.

The commission’s lone “no” vote came from Laura Sellers, who represents the Garrisonville District, where the proposed Buc-ee’s would be located. She wanted residents to have a chance to speak on the proposal in December while developers are still fine-tuning the proposal. “I will fight for Embrey Mill. I will fight for Austin Ridge, just like we’ve done on school rezonings,” Sellers said, referring to local housing communities that would be near the proposed mega travel center. “Just like we’ve done on so many things, we will put up a good fight.”

During the five-hour-plus meeting, commissioners asked Buc-ee’s real estate and development director Stan Beard Jr. question after question about the travel center chain’s proposal, ranging from the impact on local traffic to how much water the travel center will use to whether another convenience store is needed, regardless of its size.

“We have a Wawa that’s going to be right across the street, and down the street we have a Sheetz,” Commissioner Kecia Evans said. “So, three gas stations within proximity of each other. Was there any other place that the applicant looked to put this? It’s not making sense to me.”

Additionally, dozens of county residents spoke about the proposal, airing worries over potential noise and the proposed travel center’s proximity to residential areas.

Ignacio Esteban, a retired special agent for the Department of Justice, lives in Austin Ridge, about a mile from the site of the proposed Buc-ee’s. He started a petition opposing the travel chain that has garnered more than 2,400 signatures.

“They do not want the awful beaver in our county,” he said Wednesday.

Embrey Mill resident Raheem Moore worried about the impact Buc-ee’s would have on quality of life in the area.

“Buc-ee’s is a tourist destination … the Disney World of gas stations,” he said. When Virginia’s first Buc-ee’s opened in Rockingham County this summer, Moore said, it looked “like those early Black Friday deals that Target and Walmart used to do back in the day, where customers [were] cramming to get in.”

Nevertheless, a few people at Wednesday’s meeting spoke in favor of the proposed Stafford Buc-ee’s. County resident David Roquet said that since travelers have to buy gas somewhere, they might as well spend their dollars in Stafford. “Look at it as an opportunity,” he said.

Earlier in the month, Stafford residents had another opportunity to question Buc-ee’s representatives about the proposed development during an Oct. 20 meeting at Colonial Forge High School.

“We were here last week, and we had some good conversation with the neighborhood,” Beard said. “I would like to point out that it was a voluntary town hall meeting because we do take seriously our impacts on those around us.”

He acknowledged that residents sometimes have strong feelings about a Buc-ee’s location moving into their towns.

“My job is not to talk you into the fact that your traffic is going to be OK or that we’re a better use than 90,000 square feet of retail and fast food,” he said. “If you came here unhappy, you’re probably going to leave here unhappy.”

Even so, Beard said he wanted to make sure everyone had accurate information. “A lot of talk around our projects is … generally unfounded and false,” he said.

For example, rumors about the store attracting 20,000 cars a day are not true, according to Beard. “It’s 20,000 trips on the worst possible peak hour in the given year,” he said. “A car equals two trips — one going in the site, one going out of the site.”

In addition to the Buc-ee’s that opened in Rockingham County this summer, another is planned for New Kent County, expected to open in 2027.

Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s has 54 locations in the Lone Star State, Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The travel centers are beloved by many for clean restrooms and delicacies including brisket and Beaver Nuggets.