Boerne residents ask Planning and Zoning Commission to limit scope of proposed Buc-ee’s over traffic, lighting and property-value concerns

BOERNE, Texas — Dozens of residents who live near the site of a long-planned Buc-ee’s megastore told the Boerne Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 4 that they want limits on the store’s size, lighting and fuel capacity and more information about traffic and mitigation measures. The commission did not take action on the project; staff told residents the item will be before the commission in September and that Director Crane is available to discuss details after the meeting.

Speakers said the 2016 economic-development agreement with Buc-ee’s binds the city and the company but that Boerne in 2025 is different from the city that signed that agreement nearly a decade ago. “We know what the contract says, but we don’t know what the site plan is,” Paula Reeker, who said she lives at 101 Creek Springs, told the commission.

The concerns raised at the public-comment portion centered on four topics: traffic congestion and safety, lighting and “dark skies” compatibility, effects on emergency services, and potential loss of residential property values. Several speakers cited Buc-ee’s existing high-traffic sites as examples they said they feared would be replicated in Boerne.

Sam McGee, a local business owner and volunteer firefighter who said he lives about 1.5 miles from the proposed site, told commissioners he supports entrepreneurship but asked the commission to limit the store’s square footage, number of fuel pumps and overall acreage if the body has that authority. McGee said his experience driving past Buc-ee’s in Luling shows exits and off-ramps can become “completely consumed by vehicles” and called that a direct result of demand at Buc-ee’s locations. “There’s a healthy balanced compromise that can be achieved,” McGee said.

Other residents described promises they said Buc-ee’s representatives made in earlier, verbal meetings that were not written into the agreement. Dana Mathis said a representative in 2017 had verbally promised a smaller, lower sign, water-conservation measures and dark-skies compliance; Mathis said those commitments do not appear in writing. “This whole Buc-ee’s project has lacked transparency and clarity for the public,” Mathis said.

Residents asked the commission for a fresh traffic study and asked staff to press Buc-ee’s for site details and mitigation measures that reflect Boerne in 2025 rather than the conditions in 2016. Denise Brookmuller (listed in the record as living on Minger/Manger Springs) said she read the contract and believes it includes a minimum of 90 fuel pumps; she asked commissioners whether that number can be limited and whether any growth clauses in the agreement can be restricted.

Speakers also raised public-safety concerns tied to emergency-service demand. McGee, who identified himself as a volunteer fireman, asked whether local EMS, police and fire services are prepared for increased calls at a large travel center. Residents urged the commission to require buffering measures such as a block wall between the store and adjacent homes and to minimize illumination to protect the city’s dark-sky character.

Commission and staff responses at the meeting were procedural. Vice Chair Lucas Heiler (filling in for Chair Tim Van Wolf) thanked commenters and said commissioners do work ahead of meetings, including site visits; he told one speaker, “I can tell you we are not a rubber stamp.” Director Crane offered to speak with residents in the hallway after the meeting and confirmed the item will return to the commission in September.

The commission approved the consent agenda during the meeting by motion; that unrelated vote passed unanimously. No zoning or site approvals tied to Buc-ee’s were taken at the Aug. 4 meeting.

Next steps noted at the meeting: the Buc-ee’s-related item will be on the commission’s September agenda; residents were encouraged to meet with Director Crane for additional information and to submit comments for the record ahead of any formal vote.

Provenance: The article summarizes public comments from the Aug. 4 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting (public-comment speakers Sam McGee, Christie Ackerman, Denise Brookmuller, Dana Mathis, Paula Reeker, Kristen McGee) and commission/staff remarks about process and scheduling.