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Subject:
Require Buc-ee’s to properly rezone

To the El Paso County Planning Department and County Commissioners,

I am writing as a concerned resident regarding the proposed Buc-ee’s development near Monument and Palmer Lake. I strongly urge the Planning Department not to treat this proposal as a simple administrative approval under the obsolete C-1 zoning designation.

Please do not dismiss these concerns as just another round of public opposition.

Many of us feel that decisions of this magnitude should not move quietly through administrative channels based on outdated zoning definitions that were never intended for a project of this scale. We are asking not for special treatment, but for transparency, careful scrutiny, and a meaningful public process. Public input should matter before irreversible decisions are made.

This project is not comparable to the type of “convenience store” that existed when the C-1 zoning code was created. In 1991, convenience stores were small neighborhood-serving businesses such as 7-Elevenstores, typically around 5,000–6,000 square feet. C-1 zoning and convenience store uses were historically intended to serve local neighborhood and community needs through small-scale commercial services, retail, and offices.

By Buc-ee’s own statements to the Palmer Lake Planning Commission in 2025, the company acknowledged that approximately “90–95% of store sales come from outside of the zip code.” That statement alone demonstrates that this is not a neighborhood-serving convenience store, but a large regional commercial destination designed to draw substantial outside traffic from well beyond the local community.

Additionally, within the C-1 designation, gas stations were historically permitted only as an accessory use alongside a convenience store, not as the defining feature of a massive regional travel center operation. Buc-ee’s far exceeds the original scale, intent, and community-serving purpose contemplated under the obsolete C-1 zoning classification.

Several issues deserve careful scrutiny and a full public process:

• The current C-1 zoning classification is obsolete and has not been updated since 1991.

• Buc-ee’s appears to more closely match the intent of C-3 or regional commercial zoning rather than neighborhood commercial zoning.

• A project of this scale should not move forward through administrative approval simply because the obsolete zoning code lacks a modern size limitation for convenience stores.

• Buc-ee’s should not be allowed to avoid public hearings by using an outdated zoning technicality.

• The Town of Monument has already raised concerns regarding possible “segmentation” related to the Beacon Lite Road project and the use of dirt generated from county-funded road work.

• The proposed building and sign heights appear to exceed the 30-foot limits allowed under C-1 zoning. I request clarification regarding how these heights are being measured and whether retaining wall height is being included under applicable building code standards.

• The public deserves transparency regarding whether any future Planned Unit Development (PUD) process could be used to waive existing restrictions.

This project would have major regional impacts involving traffic, infrastructure, water use, visual character, noise, and public safety. Because of its scale and significance, I respectfully request that the Planning Department require a full public review process rather than allowing this proposal to proceed administratively.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[NAME]

[ADDRESS OR COMMUNITY]