El Paso County commissioners voted 4-1 on Thursday to let Buc-ee's clear a zoning hurdle for its proposed 74,000-square-foot travel center near Palmer Lake. The ruling classifies the project as a convenience store under the county’s Land Development Code and sends it into administrative review.
That step matters because the project is now treated as an allowed use in the C-1 zoning district. It does not approve a site development plan or construction, and Buc-ee’s still has to submit that plan for review by El Paso County staff.
Carrie Geitner and Lauren Nelson
Carrie Geitner said she approved the appeal because the county’s old C-1 zoning and land-use code should be read “literally,” not by “common sense.” After the vote, she told the board, “One of the things that I find is that this is a complicated process,” and added, “While I understand that many of you may be disappointed that I agree that the applicant has met that burden of proof, I’ll just say I believe you all came here in good faith, and I came here today in good faith as well.”
Lauren Nelson said Buc-ee’s qualifies as “similar in function” to other C-1 commercial uses such as retail, restaurants and hotels. Nina Dossey, speaking for Buc-ee’s, described the development as a “convenience store” and said it would include groceries, ready-to-eat food, beverages, over-the-counter medicines, household sundries and other convenience merchandise, along with gasoline, other petroleum products and electric vehicle charging.
Bill Wysong and Richard Robinette
Bill Wysong cast the lone dissent. He said, “The burden of proof still remains on the applicant. I do not believe they met that burden of proof,” and added, “I just wholeheartedly disagree at this point.”
Richard Robinette, a Tri-Lakes area resident, told the board during public comment, “Let’s be frank,” and criticized the project as a gas station. He said, “If it looks like a gas station, smells like a gas station and sells more gas than a gas station, it’s a gas st.”
Nearly 170 community members had signed up to speak, after residents had been fighting over development, water use, traffic and open space for nearly two years. The hearing at Centennial Hall in Colorado Springs drew hundreds of people outside before the meeting.
The board’s ruling settles the zoning appeal, but not the project itself. Buc-ee’s now moves into county staff review on its site development plan, and that plan does not return to the board for approval.
