One of the three planned studies evaluating the impact of the proposed Buc-ee's west of Interstate 25 off County Line Road indicates existing 2025 traffic operations are acceptable with only minor delays and queues anticipated.
The gas station chain -- known for its iconic beaver -- has its first Colorado location in Johnstown, but the possibility of another opening near Palmer Lake has caused a resident uproar. As of Wednesday, town officials have only approved the annexation's eligibility and there is still a long way to go until residents and travelers can potentially take a trip.
Despite Buc-ee's hiring Kimley Horn to conduct a study, the town of Palmer Lake opted for an independently conducted traffic impact study by Stolfus & Associates.
The study, released Feb. 27, collected data regarding traffic counts, forecasted future vehicular volumes and trip generation, using the data to complete a traffic analysis on each intersection in the study area. As noted in the 201-page document, roadway improvements proposed in the Kimley Horn study were taken into consideration.
The study results show that "existing traffic operations (year 2025) are acceptable at all the study intersections ... delays and queues are minor." By 2028 and 2045, all the studied intersections will "operate acceptably" with the planned new intersections and roadway improvements.
The study took a look at four existing intersections and the anticipated three intersections that will aid in access to the Buc-ee's. In addition, the intersection of County Line Road and Spruce Mountain Road was analyzed to determine traffic impacts near downtown.
Trustee Atis Jurka said the board has yet to convene to discuss the results as of Wednesday. He confirmed a public hearing on the study is planned, with the engineering firm in attendance to explain the "finer details."
"I am not an expert in this field, but I will spend time reading through the study with great interest so that I understand it and have the pertinent questions to ask when the engineering firm is available to explain their findings and recommendations," Jurka stated in an email.
Throughout the process of proposal and voting, vocal residents of Palmer Lake have expressed their opposition to the Buc-ee's.
On Tuesday, a link to Gazette news partner KOAA's article regarding the study was posted on the Facebook page Savemonument, which has over 2,700 members. Many expressed their opposition and questioned the facts of the study.
The study estimates the proposed development will generate 10,947 weekday daily trips. Of these trips -- including weekend numbers -- 25% will be site trips and 75% will be pass-by trips.
"Buc-ee's is a destination gas station, the residence of Castle Rock, Monument and Colorado Springs will intentionally visit this location daily, that's over half a million people. This location will be slammed on a daily basis!" Facebook user Danny Bristow wrote.
Some echoed Bristow's words, saying they expect much higher visit numbers than what the study released.
"Anything they say has to be double-checked for accuracy. Can't trust a single thing they say," another user Jennifer Wagner wrote.
While the study indicates the intersection of County Line Road and Spruce Mountain Road won't see major impacts, it still recommends the town to "consider" aligning the north leg of Perry Park Road and the south leg of County Line Road to "improve driver safety and operations."
According to recent Gazette coverage, Palmer Lake's board of trustees voted Dec. 12 to approve the project's annexation eligibility 4 to 1, with one trustee and mayor Glant Havenar not present.
Trustees clarified multiple times that the meeting item was only to determine the eligibility of the landowner's request to be annexed into the town based on whether the application met legal requirements. The annexation itself has yet to be approved.
While traffic mitigation was a concern from the get-go, another major point of concern for the project included whether the town would be able to provide water to the Buc-ee's, which will be examined in a separate study.
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"As with any development project requiring a traffic study, this is just one piece of information statutorily required for the board to consider in the overall development project," Mayor Havenar said following the study's release.
"We look forward to receiving all the studies required and will release those as soon as they become available."
The Dec. 12 vote was met with legal backlash and several county nonprofit organizations and Tri-Lakes area residents filed a 21-page lawsuit in El Paso County Court to overturn the decision.
Buc-ee's lawsuit filed against town of Palmer Lake over annexation plan
Plaintiffs Integrity Matters, Westside Watch, TriLakes Preservation Inc. and United Congregational Church, all nonprofits, joined nine individuals in filing the lawsuit against the town.
Since the filing of the complaint, the Town of Palmer Lake was granted an extension on Feb. 25 to submit a response to the county court judge.
In a separate Facebook post on the same page questioning the location's proximity to Monument, another commenter brought up the idea of taking the fight there instead of Palmer Lake.
"Maybe the citizens of Monument should offer a one-time tax to support Monument annexing it to cover any of the costs the city of Monument doesn't want the burden of?" user Scott Lindner wrote.
"I mean, rather than fight Palmer Lake, take the fight to Monument."
The project's location resides in unincorporated El Paso County, according to prior Gazette reporting. The annexation of roughly 30 acres at the corner of County Line Road and Interstate 25 was deemed eligible to be annexed into Palmer Lake boundaries during the Dec. 12 vote.
Looking into the future, Stolfus and Associates has several recommendations if the site is built in Palmer Lake.
With the Buc-ee's anticipated to increase traffic volume if built, roadway classifications will change. The study says the developer "should be responsible for contributing to the required roadway improvements" in those areas.
The developer will also be responsible for implementing the intersection improvements identified in the Kimley Horn Study, the study says.
County Line Road will require an upgrade from a minor arterial road to a principal arterial road. Similarly, the study suggests Beacon Lite Road will turn into a minor arterial instead of a local road.
If approved, the Buc-ee's would be the second built in Colorado, following the Johnstown location north of Denver that opened in 2024. The Palmer Lake location is proposed to be a similar size, about 74,000 square feet.
0:12+3 Buc-ee's receives mixed reviews from Johnstown locals months after opening first Colorado location
Project consultant Nina Ruiz of Vertex Consulting Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.