A public meeting hosted to discuss a proposed Buc-ee’s location along Interstate 25 packed the Palmer Lake Elementary School cafeteria Tuesday night, frequently turning hostile and argumentative between company representatives and community members.

“We don’t desire your beaver nuggets,” said audience Alexandra Olivier, who joined an overwhelmingly negative wave of comments at the informational meeting.

Residents raised a myriad of concerns over the travel center, which has been proposed on a piece of current El Paso County land west of I-25 and directly south of County Line Road. Developers have submitted an annexation plan to the county that would bring the site into the town of Palmer Lake under a “flagpole” annexation, connecting the roughly 30-acre property by a thin line to the rest of the town.

If approved, the 74,000-square-foot facility would be the second Colorado location for the Texas-based company, which is known for super-sized travel stops marketed to have clean restrooms and cult-following food and merchandize.

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A preliminary approval for the annexation request to determine its eligibility is going to the town of Palmer Lake on Dec. 12. The Tuesday meeting was hosted by Bu-cee’s company representatives and consultants.

Many of the most vocal speakers against the proposal at the meeting were residents along County Line Road and in the Woodmoor community north of Monument, those who would be living closest to the proposed travel center. Some raised concerns about light pollution, crime and traffic if the travel center were built.

“How do you expect us to get the values out of our homes that we’ve lived in for 35 years?” said County Line Road resident Kathy Brown.

Others were concerned about the impacts of including a large-scale travel center into Palmer Lake town limits when it came to managing natural resources and safeguarding the town’s economy and character. Palmer Lake currently has a population of less than 3,000 and has in the past rejected chain stores in town limits.

According to an annexation impact report submitted by developers, the property proposed for a Buc-ee’s is zoned commercial and is identified as a possible “retail node” in a master plan for the area.

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Many also questioned developers on the choice of location on Monument Hill, a place residents say is prone to accidents in inclement winter weather due to heavy snow and ice.

Mark Waller, a consultant for Buc-ee’s and former El Paso County Commissioner, said that the company had considered weather concerns on the roadway.

“Rarely is it the circumstance that the highway shuts down,” he said.

More information about the proposal can be found at bucceespalmerlake.com.

Palmer Lake trustees will next discuss the annexation at their regular meeting on Dec. 12 at 5 p.m.