No. 4: Buc-ee’s opens for business, paving way for more development

The numbers begin to tell the story of one of Springfield’s most anticipated new businesses of 2023.

The Buc-ee’s travel center, located along Interstate 44 in northeast Springfield, has 100 gas pumps outside and 53,000 square feet of retail space under roof. Pay for its staff of 230 starts at $18 per hour. It was built at a cost of $60 million, and company officials expect taxable revenue of $30 million annually, not counting gasoline sales.

The store is expected to attract about 6 million customers per year, with 88% of them traveling there from 20 or more miles away.

Company officials say 175 people lined up in the 22-degree weather to be among the first in the door when the store opened at 6 a.m. Dec. 11.

Inside were Buc-ee’s staples, like a barbecued brisket station featuring breakfast tacos for morning crowds and sandwiches all day, plus jerky, kolaches, candy and Beaver Nuggets, which are a prepackaged puffed-corn treat available in various flavors.

As the sun rose, more customers arrived, so that people were parking on outer roads to get to the 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony, with remarks by founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III.

Hosting the ceremony was Amanda Ohlensehlen, Springfield’s director of Economic Vitality, who rattled off even more numbers in a conversation after the event. With the Buc-ee’s infrastructure investment, sewer, water and three-phase power were extended across I-44, and roads were also improved, opening up about 1,000 acres to development.

“Buc-ee’s is truly a case study on attracting complementary development,” she said. “We expect that things will start to change in the coming years along this I-44 corridor location.”

She said interest among developers is high.

“We’re already seeing some interest and some things that are coming through the city offices, so that’s exciting,” she said. “Obviously, the infrastructure improvements, the transportation improvements and the extension of utilities make this a prime area for potential retail or hospitality type development.”

In 2022, Springfield City Council approved two funding mechanisms to support the Buc-ee’s project. Its establishment of the 36-acre Cottle’s Range Community Improvement District allows businesses to impose a 0.625% sales and use tax for up to 20 years to reimburse Buc-ee’s for up to $5.1 million for the extension of public utilities, improvements to Mulroy Road and construction of Buc-ee’s Boulevard.

Council also approved $4.1 million in tax increment financing through which Buc-ee’s will capture half each of a 1-cent general sales tax and quarter-cent capital improvement sales tax for up to 20 years.

City officials estimate the reimbursement period will be a decade or less before the project is paid in full.