Buc-ee's in Oak Creek moves ahead after council approves zoning changes

Yahoo

19-03-2025

A proposed Buc-ee's gas station moved another step forward when the Oak Creek Common Council voted 5-1 twice Tuesday night to approve zoning changes that would allow it to be built in the city.
In January, Buc-ee's, the mega-popular Texas-based gas station, proposed a 74,000-square-foot gas station and convenience store that would be open 24/7 and include about 120 fueling stations. It's proposed for a 29.6-acre site in the southwest quadrant of the Interstate 94/Elm Road interchange.
The votes amend the city's 2020 Comprehensive Plan Land Use for three properties from Business Park to Commercial. They also rezone the properties — at 10700, 10820 and 10840 S. 27th St. — for retail use.
Ald. Ken Gehl was the only alderperson to vote against the moves.
The Oak Creek store could open in early 2027 and "is expected to be the first Buc-ee's to be built in the state," a statement from Buc-ee's said. It would likely attract around 100,000 visitors weekly and employ between 175 and 225 full-time workers. Wages start at $18 to $20 per hour.
"We are excited at the possibility of being here," Stan Beard, Buc-ee's director of development and real estate, said at Tuesday's meeting. Beard described Buc-ee's as a "tourist destination" and "fun store" that attracts visitors from outside the area and state.
"We are a big footprint. ...," he said. "We're the unique destination within whatever destination you're headed to. We want to be part of your road trip."
Angela Janik, Buc-ee's project coordinator, described the convenience store as "the Disneyland of gas stations" in a presentation she gave at a Jan. 28 public meeting in Oak Creek. Janik added that Buc-ee's often partners with local vendors for products to sell in-store, including art, candles and honey ― as long as they can keep up with demand.
Buc-ee's locations attract between 4,000 and 8,000 cars daily, bringing about 100,000 visitors each week. Janik said an estimated 90% of visitors to the Oak Creek location could come from outside Milwaukee County.
Some Oak Creek residents are are concerned about Buc-ee's coming to town. A GoFundMe campaign by Oak Creek Neighbors United has raised over $2,800 to pay for "legal fees to help advocate for our community and environmental concerns."
Oak Creek Neighbors United writes that the gas station will have "life long significant impacts to the health of the people and animals" that live near it. It argues that these effects could include disruptive 24-hour light pollution, waterway pollution from the fueling stations, lots of traffic and negative effects on people who live nearby.
Multiple residents from Oak Creek's St. John's neighborhood ― which is near the proposed site ― spoke at Tuesday's meeting against the development. They shared similar worries to those in the GoFundMe, as well as concerns about how such a busy store would be policed, crime that it may attract, visitor traffic overwhelming subdivision streets, tax issues and effects on farm animals.
One resident said the Buc-ee's plan would turn the farmland proposed for its use into an "impervious wasteland." She said the gas pumps and other development would hurt Lake Michigan and the Oak Creek watershed, which is "already highly urbanized." She argued Buc-ee's would increase pollution and hurt waterway wildlife already affected by the multiple nearby gas stations and 24-hour travel centers.
Resident Robert Foster argued Buc-ee's 24-7 operation could hurt residents' quality of life. "There's nothing about a 24-hour, well-lit visitor center that screams quality of life to me or my wife," Foster said.
An owner of A Storybook Farm said gasoline fumes could pose a hazard to the farm. He added that the 24-7 lights could harm horses' ability to grow their winter coats and cause health problems for chickens.
"This is not going to work with us ...," he said. "Our horses don't vote, but we are here."
According to a timeline provided by the Oak Creek Plan Commission, the commission now must review a certified survey map application to combine the three South 27th Street parcels. The commission also will review a Conditional Use Permit application for the operation of a "fueling plaza" at 27th Street and Elm Road. On April 22, the commission will provide a recommendation to the Common Council.
On May 20, the Common Council will hold a public hearing to consider both applications and might vote on them at the meeting.
On June 10, the Plan Commission will review the final site, landscaping, architectural and lighting plans for the construction of the building and build-out of the site. The Plan Commission might instead vote on the application at that meeting. This application type doesn't go before the Common Council. It's the final step in the review process and isn't a public hearing.
In 2023, Buc-ee's said it planned to build a store in DeForest ― a village of about 10,000 in Dane County, north of Madison.
Those plans were delayed over issues of paying for a $15 million I-39-90-94 interchange upgrade needed to prevent freeway traffic backups.
Gov. Tony Evers' recently proposed 2025-27 state budget includes $6 million for the project, with Buc-ee's agreeing to pay $8.1 million. The remaining funds would be covered by a DeForest tax incremental financing district using property tax revenue generated by the Buc-ee's development.
Journal Sentinel reporters Tom Daykin and Erik S. Hanley contributed to this report.
More: What's next for Buc-ee's in Oak Creek? City provides a timeline for the project
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Buc-ee's in Oak Creek moves ahead after zoning changes approved