An annexation for an El Paso County store off I-25 brings light and water concerns, but town’s Board of Trustees will have the final say

Palmer Lake’s planning commission advised town officials Wednesday night to rethink its existing plans to annex land to build the second Buc-ee’s travel center in Colorado, saying the proposed development would violate the town’s master plan.

The planning board voted 4-1 against recommending the Texas chain’s annexation request to the Board of Trustees, who will have the final say whether or not to approve the 74,000-square-foot convenience store and gas station on the southwestern corner of Interstate 25 and County Line Road in El Paso County.

The proposal has thrown Palmer Lake, its neighbors and town officials into a bitter battle over land use and conservation, transparency and the future of the small town north of Colorado Springs.

Planning commissioners Matt Stephen, Bill Fisher, Herb Tomitsch and Mike Beeson did not recommend the trustees approve the proposed Buc-ee’s plan as it is written, with concerns that the development was too big, that it failed to maintain Palmer Lake’s small town character, among other concerns about light pollution and the proposed travel center’s water demand.

“This site is incredibly beautiful. The sprawl kind of stopped at Monument,” Fisher said.

“The master plan expects commercial development at this site, but it expects them with some controls,” he added.

Fisher recommended scaling back the size of the parking lot, conserving water through green building practices and cutting down on the site’s lighting.

Commission Chair Charlie Ihlenfeld disagreed that the proposal would violate the town’s master plan and commitment to a “small town feel,” arguing that the gas station would be built more than two miles from town.

He said he recommended the development under the condition the sign is built no taller than 75 feet, which Buc-ee’s developers have agreed to, and if nearby bike and hiking trails are considered.

Commissioner Andre Bergeron recused himself from the vote, saying he felt he had a bias after receiving “an anonymous, unsolicited package” at his house that he felt was an attempt to intimidate him.