Those who love — or decry — Buc-ee’s can now plan to have their official say about the gas station/convenience store chain at a Stafford County public hearing.
The Texas-based Buc-ee’s is seeking a permit to build what would be its third Virginia location near the intersection of Interstate 95 and Courthouse Road in Stafford, and some county residents who live near the proposed site have been voicing their opposition to it for more than a year.
But no official public hearing has been held thus far. That will change Oct. 29, when the project is scheduled to go before the Stafford Planning Commission. The commission will then make a recommendation on the proposal to the county Board of Supervisors, which has the final say.
Buc-ee’s travel centers are larger than most other convenience stores, and the Stafford proposal calls for a 74,000-square-foot building with 120 gas pumps and 833 parking spaces (including 24 Tesla charging stations) on more than 36 acres.
It’s popular with travelers, who scarf down its barbecue and puffed-corn Beaver Nugget snacks and buy beaver-themed clothes that feature the Buc-ee’s mascot. Others stop at the stores because they contain what are proclaimed as the nation’s cleanest bathrooms.
Buc-ee’s says its travel center would generate significant tax revenue for Stafford and create 200 jobs, with hourly positions paying an average of $16 to $19 per hour to start.
Nearby residents, however, say the proposed location is problematic, particularly because of traffic in the area. Many have criticized the project at county meetings and online.
The original date for the public hearing was Oct. 22, but the Planning Commission will have a joint public hearing with the supervisors on another controversial topic — data centers — the day before. So Commission Chairman Steven Apicella asked for the Oct. 22 meeting to be canceled and a special-called meeting to be held a week later, Stafford government spokesman Andrew Spence said Thursday.
The Buc-ee’s public hearing scheduling, though, didn’t sit well with at least two county supervisors.
During Wednesday’s board meeting, supervisor Crystal Vanuch said that the arrangement would still mean two highly charged public hearings in a short period of time.
“I feel like this should go to [the commission’s] November meeting because it seems like we’re making the public come to two big hearings back-to-back,” said Vanuch, who represents the Rock Hill District.
Garrisonville District Supervisor Pamela Yeung, who represents the area where Buc-ee’s would be, also said Thursday that she is still worried about the traffic generated by the project.
“My concern is that the traffic study is not complete,” said Yeung, “and, if the traffic study’s not complete, why are they in front of the Planning Commission?”
Both supervisors also pointed out that their board typically doesn’t make land-use decisions in the “lame-duck” time immediately after elections, so the Buc-ee’s application may not even come to the supervisors until next year. So, that thinking goes, why hurry to have a hearing this month?
Bart Randall, who faces Yeung in November in the race for the Garrisonville District supervisor seat, also sent a statement to the Free Press on Thursday with a list of concerns he has about Buc-ee’s.
He said he’s not saying just yet that he would vote against the project, but he has worries. They include traffic, the project’s proximity to neighborhoods, a potential negative impact on local businesses, and a possible negative effect on resources such as water, power and utilities.
“I am committed to the constituents in the Garrisonville District to ensure Buc-ee’s will not move forward UNLESS the risks, concerns and issues listed above can be addressed in such a way that it mitigates or removes risk and minimizes or eliminates negative impacts to the businesses and residents in Stafford,” Randall wrote.
Also on Wednesday, the supervisors discussed reallocating money to pay for a budget shortfall with the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
The supervisors approved the county budget for this fiscal year with the intention of asking the jail board to reduce its request for funding, but the jail board didn’t go along with that plan.
That means the supervisors now need to reallocate nearly $2 million from other projects to pay their share of jail costs.
They’re not scheduled to vote on the matter until Oct. 21, but they seemed to reach a consensus on using $245,865 that would have gone to the Stafford Sheriff’s Office and $500,000 that was to go to a project on Brooke Road to partially pay for the jail expenses. Those projects are now being funded by grants instead of from the county’s general fund.
The supervisors would then look to make up the rest of the jail obligations by taking more than $1.2 million from the county’s land acquisition fund.
