PALMER LAKE, Colo. (KKTV) – El Paso County could be home to Colorado’s second Buc-ee’s.

Palmer Lake was proposed as the site of the massive beaver-themed convenience store’s next location — a potential move that divides residents, with some excited and others worried. A petition on change.org suggested the location would create “severe” traffic problems and threaten the community’s “quiet, low-density lifestyle.”

On Tuesday, the developer of the proposed site held a public information meeting at Palmer Lake Elementary School. In a letter to the community last month, after Buc-ee’s potential expansion into Colorado was announced, the mayor of Palmer Lake encouraged citizens to attend the meeting and “make their voices heard.” .

Residents did, and more than 200 of the town’s approximately 2,600 residents gathered at the school to learn more about the proposed plan.

Stan Beard, director of real estate and development for Buc-ee’s, told 11 News in an interview last month that the company has been eyeing Palmer Lake for some time.

“Palmer Lake is a great little community that sits on a stretch of road that we have been studying and evaluating for some time as our second location in Colorado. … If they accept us, we would love to be there.”

“My job,” he continued, “is to make the vast majority of residents and city leaders understand that having a Buc-ee’s in their city is extremely positive. This could potentially, you know, be a game changer for the city of Palmer Lake, and I hope the leadership and most of its citizens agree.

The proposed 74,000-square-foot store would be built near I-25 and County Line Road. According to some residents, this is a place that could cause a lot of traffic problems, especially in winter.

“My question is: Last week we had 4 feet of snow. We had jack-knifed tractor-trailers and someone was killed on the highway. Please tell me how your 80,000 cars a day are actually going to pass through our neighborhood? » asked a resident.

Other residents denounced light pollution.

“I live 400 meters from the road. I can see where you are going to build the store outside my bedroom window. What are you going to do about light pollution? » asked another resident during the meeting.

However, some residents were excited about what the store could bring to the Palmer Lake community.

“I really like the idea of ​​the jobs that are going to appear. These are great paying jobs, fantastic jobs,” the Pemberton family said.

A public hearing on the annexation will be held on December 12. The Mayor of Palmer Lake is once again encouraging residents to attend.

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