Oak Creek Buc-ee's plan moves forward after council meeting

OAK CREEK, Wis. - A Texas-based company wants to bring its Texas-sized gas station to Oak Creek, and now it's one step closer.

Council supports Buc-ee's

What we know:

The Oak Creek Common Council signs off on two ordinance changes that could bring a Buc-ee's gas station to town.

The council weighed a change to its comprehensive plan and zoning for property east of 27th Street and south of Elm, butted up against the freeway, which could eventually become home to the Buc-ee's location.

The proposed site is located at the southwest corner of I-94 and Elm Road. It would be home to a 73,370-square-foot convenience store/fueling plaza and feature 120 gas pumps, including ethanol-free, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) and EV charging.

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The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is currently reviewing a traffic impact analysis for the site.

The city anticipates Buc-ee's will submit a number of other applications, like a conditional use permit and site review, within the next week.

If all goes well, the store/travel center would open in early 2027.

Neighbors push against plan

Local perspective:

Homeowners living a little more than 1,400 feet north of there in a subdivision have been the most vocal in opposing this. They worry about the impact on their home values over the use of their streets as detours, about light pollution and more.

In fact, they've formed a nonprofit – Oak Creek Neighbors United – and hired a lawyer. They asked the city not to change the zoning.

"My wife and I moved to this neighborhood out of all the places we could've moved in Wisconsin for quality of life," said resident Robert Foster. "There's nothing about [Buc-ee's] that screams quality of life."

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"It just seems totally unnecessary to have a massive, sort of gimmicky tourist attraction gas station in a residential neighborhood," said resident Levi Oxford.

The other side:

"We looked at the fact that the site that was under contract was 1,428 feet away from the nearest home," City Administrator Andrew Vickers said. "In a planning sense, from a municipal planning sense, that is not adjacent. That is not nearby."

The City of Oak Creek provided a statement before the meeting started, saying in part:

"The City appreciates the public’s engagement and will continue to provide updates as the process moves forward."

Mapping out the weeks ahead

What's next:

April 22, 2025 (anticipated): The Plan Commission will review the Certified Survey Map (CSM) application to combine the three parcels AND a Conditional Use Permit application for the operation of a "fueling plaza" at 27th and Elm Rd. Again, the Plan Commission will provide a recommendation to the Common Council but does not approve the applications.

May 20, 2025 (anticipated): A public hearing will be held before the Common Council to consider the Conditional Use Permit application for the "fueling plaza" AND the CSM application to combine the parcels. The Common Council may vote on the applications at this meeting.

June 10, 2025 (anticipated): The Plan Commission will review the final site, landscaping, architectural and lighting plans for the construction of the building and build-out of the site. The Plan Commission may vote on the application at this meeting. This application type does not go before the Common Council. This is the final step in the review process and is not a public hearing.

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