Addressing “significant public interest,” El Paso County released a statement on its website last week saying that planning staff have not received an application for a Buc-ee’s.

“A project such as the construction of a Buc-ee’s does require a transparent public process,” read the statement.

The county’s note addressed rumors around a land application opened earlier this month. According to El Paso County records, Vertex Consulting Services, LLC, applied on behalf of the landowner for a boundary line adjustment on the parcel where a Buc-ee’s has previously been planned.

The request would change the property line between two parcels and is subject to administrative review by county staff. The county stressed that the change would not allow any construction.

The statement has not stopped dozens of emails to the county from residents opposing Buc-ee’s and protesting activity on the property, according to planning records.

Vertex does not state a reason for the boundary line application in the submitted documents, and Buc-ee’s could not be reached for comment. The application gives a legal justification for changing the property line, including that the change would not affect water rights.

Buc-ee’s is a Texas-based travel center chain with one location in Colorado. A second proposed location near Monument Hill along Interstate 25 has received concerted opposition since developers announced plans in 2024.

The company originally sought to annex the proposed site into the nearby small town of Palmer Lake and access the town’s groundwater resources in exchange for covering the cost of two new wells. After significant protest and leadership turnover in Palmer Lake during a year-long evaluation process, the annexation request was withdrawn earlier this month.

Company representatives have not said why the request was withdrawn. But Buc-ee’s consultant Mark Waller previously told The Gazette that developers were “exploring all of their options at this point.”

El Paso County said any commercial construction would require a “detailed” site development plan to determine whether the project met the land use code.

“County Staff does not treat projects differently and applies standard process and criteria to every request,” the statement read.