Greenwood plan commission recommends PUD rezoning to allow Buc-ee's travel center amid traffic and school-safety concerns

The Greenwood Advisory Plan Commission on July 13 recommended the Greenwood Common Council approve a planned-unit-development rezoning for approximately 80.15 acres at the southeast corner of East Forestville Road and I‑65 to allow a Buc‑ee's travel center and related commercial uses.

Attorney Brian Tuohy, representing petitioner CSMS Management LLC (an affiliate of Buc‑ee's LLC), told the commission the proposal aligns with Greenwood’s comprehensive plan designation for the site as a “regional destination commercial” node called Greenwood Crossing. Tuohy said the initial phase would place a Buc‑ee's travel center on about 40 acres, describing a roughly 74,000‑square‑foot facility that the team estimates would employ about 175–225 people and represent approximately a $50 million capital investment.

Why it matters: supporters said the store would attract visitors, add jobs and expand the local tax base; opponents warned it would overwhelm local roads, endanger school‑period traffic and harm neighborhood character. The commission’s recommendation is advisory; the Greenwood Common Council holds final zoning authority.

Residents and school officials took the microphone for extended public comment. Diane Lockenbach, a nearby resident, urged denial and submitted exhibits she said showed existing traffic counts and alleged the PUD language would exempt the development from local design standards (she cited the unified development ordinance), saying the project “would deliberately overwhelm” roadways that are already near capacity. Clark Pleasant Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Tim Edsel asked the commission to pause action so the developer could collect vehicle counts during school peak hours; Edsel said peak congestion at campus drop‑off and pick‑up is concentrated in the morning (about 7:30–9:15 a.m.) and early afternoon (about 2:30–4:15 p.m.).

Developer and staff responses: Scott Ratcliffe, a Buc‑ee's representative, said the company has worked with the city and the Indiana Department of Transportation and that the traffic impact study submitted to the city and INDOT includes mitigation options. Ratcliffe and petitioner counsel committed to run additional traffic counts — a one‑week, 15‑minute‑interval series starting when school is in session (the petitioner cited August 23 as the start window) — and to work with the city and the Clark Pleasant Community School Corporation to amend mitigation measures if the new counts show unanticipated impacts.

City planning staff (Gabe Nelson) recommended a favorable finding subject to conditions that include increased landscaping and buffering, full‑cutoff lighting to reduce spill, required technical review of the traffic study and implementation of roadway improvements as identified by INDOT and city engineering. Staff told commissioners that the site is west of Collins Road and abuts I‑65 — locations the comprehensive plan identifies as appropriate for high‑traffic, destination‑style commercial uses — and that several elements (trails, landscaping, mitigation commitments) had been added in response to public feedback.

Key numbers and commitments described to the commission: petitioner-provided figures included an approximately 74,000‑square‑foot travel center, an estimate of 175–225 jobs, an annual payroll near $9 million, about 310 trees and 381 shrubs in the site landscaping plan, and an estimated $13–$14 million of off‑site roadway improvements associated with the development. The petitioner and staff repeatedly described the August traffic counts as the mechanism to test school‑period impacts and to refine mitigation.

Commission deliberation and vote: commissioners pressed on trip‑generation assumptions (several questioned a developer assumption that a large share of trips would be diverted from I‑65 rather than originating locally), the design and operational differences between a Buc‑ee's travel center and a conventional gas station, roundabout versus signal options at key intersections, pedestrian and bike connectivity, and stormwater and wildlife concerns raised by neighbors. After discussion, Commissioner Walker moved to forward a favorable recommendation with commitments to additional traffic study work with the school corporation and to the staff‑recommended conditions; the motion was seconded and recorded as carried. The commission’s recommendation will be certified to the Greenwood Common Council, which will make the final zoning decision.

Next steps: the petition now moves to the Greenwood Common Council for final action. Staff and the petitioner said the additional traffic counts and any subsequent changes to mitigation would be provided to technical reviewers and made available to the council; the council has up to 90 days to place the matter on its agenda.

Representative quotes:

• "When you're looking at this site ... your comprehensive plan calls for regional destination commercial," petitioner counsel Brian Tuohy said, describing how the proposal fits the Greenwood Crossing focus area.

• "I requested this commission deny this petition because it breaks your local ordinances, ignores public safety data, and constitutes a legally arbitrary and capricious action," resident Diane Lockenbach said, citing traffic counts and code citations she had submitted into the record.

• "We're going to run those numbers ... during school and we'll apply that data to the models," Scott Ratcliffe, Buc‑ee's representative, said when describing the company's commitment to additional school‑period counts.

The commission’s recommendation is advisory; any permit work or construction would require required permits (engineering, stormwater, county approvals and INDOT reviews) and must meet conditions set by the city and the technical review committee before any earth‑moving occurs.