Oak Creek Buc-ee's plans move forward; common council OKs resolutions
Oak Creek Buc-ee's plans move forward after common council meeting
The City of Oak Creek's Common Council on Tuesday, May 20, approved a pair of resolutions on separate application parts for Buc-ee's.
OAK CREEK, Wis. - The state's first Buc-ee's is continuing to make progress in becoming a reality.
What we know:
The City of Oak Creek's Common Council on Tuesday, May 20, approved a pair of resolutions on separate application parts: the conditional use permit and a certified survey map – both for Buc-ee's.
The Texas-based gas station giant wants to build its first Wisconsin store in Oak Creek. The company brands it more as a tourist destination than a gas station.
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The votes passed with one dissenting vote: the alderman whose district it's in, Ken Gehl.
Buc-ee's is intending to build the store near 27th and Elm.
Local perspective:
A group of neighbors who live just north of the site have opposed this from the start.
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A neighborhood group in Oak Creek is suing the city over the proposed Buc-ee’s travel center.
They fear a gas station could harm their quality of life, force a lot more traffic through their neighborhood, and they note the council's votes come before the state has finished its traffic impact analysis.
"To continue to push forward with no resolution or no answer on how to resolve any of it shows that none of you are standing up for the residents of Oak Creek and that your integrity is in question," said Sara Shreve with Oak Creek Neighbors United.
Big picture view:
One of the permit's conditions is that the business adequately accounts for traffic.
If the Wisconsin Department of Transportation does not sign off on the project, it won’t happen.
Buc-ee's said it will go above and beyond handling what WisDOT requires in terms of street changes.
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"We don't want a system that doesn't work, and we are willing to invest the capital into the public transportation system to make sure that that doesn't happen," said Stan Beard, the director of development and real estate for Buc-ee's.
The proposed Buc-ee's travel center would be home to a 73,370-square-foot convenience store/fueling plaza and feature 120 gas pumps. The goal is to open the location in early 2027.
The Source: FOX6 News attended the Oak Creek Common Council meeting.