(PALMER LAKE, Colo.) — Late on Thursday evening, May 29, the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees voted that an annexation request for the proposed Buc-ee’s in northern El Paso County is meeting legal requirements.
Only one board member, Atis Jurka, voted against the annexation during the meeting on Thursday night. The rest of the board submitted votes of approval, including Mayor of Palmer Lake Glant Havenar.
A limited number of people were allowed inside the contentious meeting, which left many forced to stand outside and watch online.
Public comments were taken from those that were allowed inside, with some neighbors in the area arguing they don’t necessarily want to stop Buc-ee’s altogether, they just don’t see Palmer Lake as the right fit.
“It’s not fair to these people, and it’s not fair to this whole community, the way one company, just because they have a lot of money, can change everything,” said one neighbor outside the meeting on Thursday. “I don’t want to stop Buc-ee’s. Let’s go on an area like Loveland did, where it’s a flat plain, where there’s nothing else out there, where there’s a lot of land, and they can make it work.”
Others argued the land where Buc-ee’s would be built–west of I-25 off of County Line Road–is not eligible for annexation because of how close the property is to Douglas County.
The Town of Palmer Lake argued the travel center would generate more than $955,000 in needed yearly sales tax revenue for Palmer Lake.
There are still a few more steps before the annexation is officially approved, and the Buc-ee’s can start being built.
