"Open for business."
That's the message Kirk Crespin, the mayor of Lamar, wants to get across to the president and CEO of Buc-ee's.
Crespin wrote to Arch "Beaver" Aplin III this week, urging his company to open a massive travel plex in the southeastern Colorado town. The request comes on the heels of an election in Palmer Lake that would make it harder for a Buc-ee’s project to move forward in northern El Paso County.
Crespin was spurred to action by a letter from Governor Jared Polis and the state's two U.S. senators asking Buc-ee's to reconsider its location choice on Monument Hill. It also comes as the town is facing the closure of Safeway, its primary grocery store.
"Lamar is a community hungry for economic growth, increased tax revenue, and the infrastructure development that comes with it,” wrote Crespin. “We would welcome the opportunity to host a Buc-ee's travel center–an anchor institution that could serve travelers across Southeastern Colorado while fueling local prosperity."
Crespin acknowledged the chances of Buc-ee's coming to Lamar are "slim," but added that it will welcome any business that wants to invest in the community. Lamar has a population of about 8,000 people and sits east of Pueblo, about 30 miles from the Kansas border.
Most Buc-ee's locations outside of the company's home state of Texas are off interstates. While Lamar is not on an interstate — in fact, the nearest one is about 100 miles away — Crespin called the location "a successful link between your new locations in Johnstown, Colorado and Amarillo, Texas."
The letter from Gov. Polis and Democratic Sens. Bennet and Hickenlooper expressed concerns over the potential impact of a Buc-ee's in El Paso County to nearby open space, but said they’d welcome the company finding another Colorado location. Crespin said Lamar "would meet all the considerations" the elected officials outlined in their letter and "allow Buc-ee's to invest in Colorado without compromising the integrity of the Greenland open-space corridor."
Buc-ee’s proposal to annex land near Palmer Lake has divided the community. The town’s voters recently recalled two town trustees who were perceived as friendly to the project. Buc-ee’s told CPR this week that the company is not considering a new Colorado location at the moment.
“We've had multiple offers from multiple communities and jurisdictions saying they would love to talk to us. And maybe we do .... We're gonna play this hand out,” said Buc-ee’s Director of Real Estate and Development Stan Beard.
Supporters of putting the travel plaza near Palmer Lake point to the boost it would give local tax revenue and help pay for critical water infrastructure. Opponents worry about the project’s long-term water usage, 24/7 lights and impacts to nearby wildlife.
“I have empathy for the folks who are nearest to this site; there is no doubt that we will have an impact,” said Beard.
But, he said, the project offers a lot of positives for the town itself, which sits two miles away, and the company may need to do more to help residents see that.
“The surprise in my mind is that Palmer Lake is not, seemingly, looking at this as just an unbelievable opportunity. We must not have done our job.”
Beard said Buc-ee’s will have a chance to make its final pitch on Oct. 2, when he expects the Palmer Lake Trustees to vote on whether to annex the land. However, even if the board agrees to it, the annexation decision must go to a public vote before it is binding.
- Colorado’s governor and senators sign letter asking Buc-ee’s to reconsider Monument Hill location
- In debate over new Buc-ee’s, early results show Palmer Lake residents want a public vote and recall of two trustees
- Palmer Lake awaits results in Buc-ee’s-triggered special election
- Buc-ee’s gets a thumbs down from the Palmer Lake Planning Commission
