Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge commissioners to reject giant travel center proposed for Monument Hill, citing water and safety risks
Summary
Multiple Monument-area residents told the county on May 26 that a proposed Buckyy's travel center would strain wells, worsen traffic on steep Monument Hill approaches and was advanced with seasonal technical studies that they say understate water and geotechnical risks.
Multiple residents urged El Paso County commissioners on May 26 to block a proposed Buckyy's interstate travel center they said would overwhelm local water supplies and create traffic and safety hazards on Monument Hill.
"This is not simply about opposing growth," Deborah Hall, a Tri-Lakes resident, told the board during public comment. "It's about whether growth is responsible, sustainable, and truthful and how it is being presented." Hall and other speakers said the facility would be incompatible with long-term plans for the area and warned it could be one of the largest travel centers in the country at a sensitive gateway to Monument Hill.
Other speakers raised technical questions about the timing and scope of geotechnical and watershed studies. "If these studies were focused on safety and environmental risk, why were they all scheduled during the driest season?" one commenter asked, echoing repeated concerns that winter borings do not reflect spring runoff and peak seasonal conditions.
Herbert Presley, a neighbor from Woodmore, told commissioners the site’s proximity to I-25 ramps and steep grades could block emergency access and push visitors to park in nearby residential areas: "If 3,000 cars are coming in an hour, where are all those people going to park? They're going to park in the neighborhoods."
Commissioners did not take action on the project during the meeting. Several commissioners said when the application reaches the county's formal land-use hearing process they will evaluate conflicts and legal requirements, and Commissioner Williams suggested that any Planning Commission member with prior public advocacy on a specific proposal should consider recusal when that application is heard.
