The withdrawal of Buc-ee’s developers’ plans with Palmer Lake could be welcome news to other communities that have actively sought to attract the Texas travel chain.

The pullout comes after over a year of increasing opposition efforts, but a local consultant with the company said on Wednesday that Buc-ee’s still wanted to build in the region.

While Buc-ee’s has no public criteria for new locations, local government leaders have been making their case on the basis of traffic volume, utility resources and business-friendliness.

The potential incentives for hosting a Buc-ee’s location could be high, especially for towns and cities looking for an economic boost. In Johnstown, the location of the state’s first Buc-ee’s, the town’s tax revenue jumped by $1 million in the first year of operation. New store openings regularly promise over 200 jobs, with entry-level salaries around $18 to $21 per hour, according to Glassdoor, a job search and recruiting site.

Pueblo

In October 2025, the Pueblo City Council passed a resolution in favor of a Buc-ee’s location. Public Works Director Andrew Hayes said in light of “significant uncertainty” with the Palmer Lake location, the city south of Colorado Springs would welcome the travel center with site readiness and “expedited professional review,” given strong plans that included local protections.

He named two potential areas for a location along Interstate 25: between exits 102 and 104 and near Pueblo Boulevard.

“When opportunity knocks, you’ve got to open the door,” Councilmember Brett Boston said at the meeting.

Douglas County

To the north of Palmer Lake, the Douglas County commissioner for the bordering district said the area held several opportunities for the company.

“Douglas County would very much support having a great company like Buc-ee’s here in the county,” said Douglas County Commissioner George Teal. “I think we’re perfectly positioned for travelers on I-25.”

He said interstate exits from Larkspur to Castle Rock to Ridgeway could be workable, with lots of undeveloped land and adequate water resources.

“Our position has always been if Buc-ee’s has a problem with El Paso County, we hope they would cast their gaze up into Douglas County,” he said.

Lamar

With just 7,600 residents and no interstate connections, the city of Lamar is a “long shot” for a Buc-ee’s location, Mayor Kirk Crespin acknowledged.

That didn’t stop him from writing a public letter to the company in September pitching Lamar as an alternative location. Crespin said the viral post did as intended: brought business attention to the town.

The post came soon after the announcement that Lamar would lose its Safeway location, in a wave of closings last year. Crespin said he wanted people to know that Lamar was open for business.

“It did help as far as bringing attention to Lamar,” he said.

The case for Lamar would be as much the east-west travel corridor as north-south. The town sits at the intersection of Highway 50 and 385, both important regional arteries. He said a Buc-ee’s there would connect the dots between locations in Amarillo, Texas, or even Springfield, Mo.

While a Buc-ee’s may still be in the far distance, the city is making progress on replacing Safeway. Crespin said an announcement about a regional grocer coming to Lamar would likely arrive in the next month.

“We’ve been working really hard to try to expand our economy and grow,” he said.