Oak Creek plan commission recommends rezoning for proposed Buc-ee’s after hour-long public comment

The Oak Creek Plan Commission voted Jan. 28 to recommend a change to the city’s comprehensive land use map and to rezone three parcels on South 20th Street to allow a proposed Buc-ee’s travel center.

The recommendation came after more than an hour of public comment from residents who live near the site, many of whom urged the commission to deny or delay action because of concerns about traffic flow on Oakwood Road and S. 20th Street, noise and light pollution, property values, stormwater runoff and safety. The applicant presented a conceptual plan for a roughly 74,000-square-foot retail building on about 27 acres with what the applicant described as 20 fueling positions (60 fueling “kiosks"), and said a traffic impact analysis had been submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for review.

Why it matters: The commission’s recommendation sends the rezoning and comprehensive plan amendment to the Common Council for a final decision. If the council approves the change to the comprehensive land use map and the B-6 Interchange Regional Retail District zoning, the applicant will move to site-plan, landscaping and permitting stages that require additional engineering and state reviews, including DOT sign-off on traffic improvements.

City staff described the vote as the…