Brand new 74,000 sq-ft Buc-ee’s sparks outrage from locals who are concerned for their safety: ‘Our children deserve better’

For many towns, the arrival of a Buc-ee’s gas station would be the ultimate honor. For one community, it is a major cause for concern. 

The beloved Texas-born mega gas station chain has been aggressively expanding over the past year, rolling out ambitious plans to plant its supersized travel centers across even more states in 2026.

Lucky states include Arizona, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, and Kentucky. 

The state feeling less than lucky is Virginia – specifically the Northern region, where the community of Stafford is up in arms about the installation of a 120-pump, 74,000-square-foot gas station in their backyard. 

Right now, a Change.org petition has gathered more than 2,500 signatures, with many supporters packing a recent public meeting to passionately voice their opposition.

In 2024, protesters also demonstrated outside a Stafford public safety center, holding signs that read, ‘Our children deserve better. Say NO to more traffic!’

According to reports, the main concerns center on heavy traffic, related safety issues, and the overdevelopment of the neighborhood. 

The online petition – featuring Bucky crossed out with a red ‘no’ symbol – appears particularly focused on the influx of visitors and the strain they could place on local facilities.

More than a gas stop, Buc-ee’s has turned pit stops into destinations 

‘This eventually will lead to higher taxes to cover utilities and water usage for over 100 toilets and 500,000 gallons of water monthly, including stormwater runoff containing millions of gallons of gasoline and oil residue entering our local environment,’ the petition says. 

‘There will be higher crime due to the influx of people from all over the United States,’ it continues. ‘Many of these criminals would then canvas local communities for easy opportunities, ie burglaries, home invasions, car thefts, child abductions and other crimes.’  

Not everyone, it seems, is bracing for doom to roll into Stafford. A rival chorus has emerged – smaller, but no less determined – with at least two other Change.org petitions actively summoning the beaver. 

One has climbed past 300 signatures, another beyond 400, each urging the mega travel center to plant its flag in town.

Meanwhile, supporters paint a far rosier picture, insisting the project will flood Stafford with tax revenue and much-needed jobs. 

Of course, cynics might suspect a simpler motivation lurks beneath the civic optimism: an unwavering devotion to those legendary brisket sandwiches.

‘Having new income and new job opportunities will be good for the community,’ said one resident. 

‘I like Buc-ee’s. I’d rather have that than the data center,’ said another. 

The community of Stafford is up in arms about the installation of a 120-pump, 74,000-square-foot gas station in their backyard

Employees in bright red shirts hustle between counters that often outnumber those in a supermarket 

For many towns, the arrival of a Buc-ee’s gas station would be the ultimate honor

For now, the fate of Stafford hangs in the balance. The planning commission is taking in a flood of public comment and deciding whether to send this charged proposal on to the board of supervisors – the ultimate arbiters, who will make the final call.

Chron has reached out to Buc-ee’s for comment. Until they respond, the silence only heightens the suspense.

By the end of 2026, the ‘Disneyland of gas stations’ will open four more of its iconic outposts, with another 15 planned in the years that follow. 

Florida, Tennessee and Arkansas are set to see the most new Buc-ee’s locations as the chain pushes deeper into the Southwest and Midwest.

As it plants its flag in new corners of the map, it promises more supersized pit stops with a hundred-plus gas pumps, a store packed with brisket and beaver nuggets, and famously clean bathrooms. 

Buc-ee’s has a cult following, particularly among Gen-Z, thanks to its social media-friendly snacks and over-the-top scale.

Fan favorites include the Sausage on a Stick, Dr Pepper Icees and an entire wall of jerky.  

The announcement of a new Buc-ee’s location in Fort Pierce, Florida, made headlines in January after early plans suggested the gas station would span 76,000 square feet – about half the size of a Walmart Supercenter and even bigger than the company’s current largest store in Luling, Texas. 

There are aisles of branded apparel emblazoned with Buc-ee’s grinning beaver mascot

Buc-ee’s is rapidly expanding beyond its Texas roots, with new travel center locations planned in cities across states like Ohio, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arizona and more 

Buc-ee’s cute red-shirted beaver mascot is so popular even unauthorized third parties sell them online

That claim has since been debunked. ‘Contrary to recent reporting that the proposed project in St Lucie, Florida, will be our largest store, Luling, Texas, is, and will remain, the largest Buc-ee’s Travel Center in our fleet,’ Stan Beard, a spokesman for the company, said. 

More than a gas station, Buc-ee’s has turned pit stops into destinations.  

Its football-field-sized travel centers pack in hundreds of pumps, restrooms that routinely win national awards, and an almost overwhelming selection of snacks, souvenirs and Texas-themed merchandise. 

Inside, shoppers can find freshly made barbecue sandwiches, mountains of the chain’s famous Beaver Nuggets – the chain’s caramelized corn puff snack – house-brand jerky cut and packaged on site, and aisles of branded apparel emblazoned with Buc-ee’s grinning beaver mascot. 

Employees in bright red shirts hustle between checkout counters that often outnumber those in a supermarket, keeping lines moving even during holiday travel rushes. 

The first Buc-ee’s opened in Texas in 1982, and the company now has 54 locations across 11 states, all open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.