After more than seven hours of public comment and deliberation that stretched past midnight, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors voted 5-2 early Wednesday morning to approve the Buc-ee’s Travel Center project at the northeast corner of Courthouse Road and Austin Ridge Drive near Interstate 95 Exit 140.
The board approved three related items — rezoning approximately 38 acres from B-2 Urban Commercial to B-1 Convenience Commercial, a conditional use permit for vehicle fuel sales and high-intensity commercial retail with a comprehensive sign plan, and vacation of about one acre of unused former Austin Ridge Drive right-of-way — shortly before 12:50 a.m. on May 20. Supervisors Pamela Yeung (Garrisonville District) and Maya P. Guy (Aquia District) cast the dissenting votes.
The marathon meeting, which began at 5 p.m. on May 19, drew a packed chamber and passionate testimony from residents on both sides of the issue. Board Chairman Deuntay T. Diggs and other supervisors enforced decorum, calling one recess after an outburst during public comments.
The project calls for a 74,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s travel center with 120 gas pumps and more than 800 parking spaces on roughly 38 acres. The site, currently undeveloped with trees, underbrush, and stormwater basins, slopes gradually west to east. Plans include a building approximately 40 feet tall (plus decorative elements), a 45-foot monument sign (reduced from an initial 60 feet), a double-row evergreen screening buffer along the northern edge, dark-sky compliant canopy lighting, and no tractor-trailer parking.
Traffic, Mitigations and Proffers
A traffic impact analysis projecting 20,940 daily vehicle trips — compared to roughly 8,278 trips possible under by-right B-2 development — identified some degradation at intersections, including increased delays at the Courthouse Road crossover in the diverging diamond interchange and Austin Ridge Drive/Courthouse Road. Improvements proffered by the applicant include a third southbound left-turn lane, a median-separated slip lane from the I-95 southbound exit, an additional westbound lane on Courthouse Road, I-95 northbound ramp widening, construction of a new Israel Rodriguez Drive, and pedestrian/bicycle enhancements.
The project remains subject to an Operational and Safety Analysis Report (OSAR) for the Exit 140 interchange, which involves federal, VDOT, and FHWA review and is expected to take approximately 18 months. The applicant has committed to full compliance with OSAR recommendations, including any additional off-site right-of-way needs at its expense. Final site plan approval is contingent on securing all required transportation approvals.
Economic Benefits Highlighted
Commissioner of the Revenue Scott Mayausky provided an independent analysis projecting at least $1.9 million in annual local tax revenue from multiple streams (sales, gas, meals, property, utility, and merchants’ capital taxes), potentially reaching $3 million or more. The project could rank as the county’s fourth-largest commercial taxpayer. Up to 300 permanent jobs are anticipated, with starting pay around $18 per hour for entry-level positions, $21 per hour for restroom crew, and six-figure salaries for managers, plus benefits. No tax incentives were requested.
Supporters, including Denise Withrow, Judith May, and others, emphasized the revenue’s potential to offset the county’s recent 4-cent real estate tax increase and fund schools, roads, fire, and other services.
“Buc-ee’s will bring… three hundred permanent jobs… over three and a half million dollars per year,” one supporter noted. Many cited positive experiences at other Virginia locations in Harrisonburg and the developing New Kent site.
Resident Concerns and Opposition
Opponents, primarily from the nearby Embry Mill and Austin Ridge neighborhoods, raised concerns about traffic spillover into residential areas, noise, light pollution, air quality, and health impacts near homes, a daycare, and a health facility. Speakers such as Alex Saavedra, Caroline Grant, a nurse, and others cited potential benzene exposure, property value effects, and inconsistency with the area’s upscale vision. “This project is just going to bring more traffic… not worth the mess,” one resident said.
Planning and Zoning Director Michael Zuraf noted staff initially recommended denial to the Planning Commission due to traffic impacts not fully meeting Comprehensive Plan Level of Service C goals and quality-of-life considerations, though positives included consistency with the Courthouse Targeted Development Area land-use designation. The Planning Commission recommended approval 4-3 in March.
Board Deliberation
During board discussion, supervisors questioned the OSAR timeline (potentially 1.5–2+ years before construction), proffers’ binding nature, by-right development comparisons, and traffic patterns. Applicant representatives, including attorney Karen Cohen and Buc-ee’s Director of Engineering Scott Ratcliffe, emphasized the smaller footprint than the by-right alternative (87,000+ square feet across seven buildings), extensive proffers, property rights, and economic benefits.
The 5-2 approval reflects the board’s weighing of broader county fiscal needs against localized impacts in the Garrisonville area.
Context and Next Steps
The site lies within the Courthouse Targeted Development Area and has been planned for commercial use. The diverging diamond interchange at Exit 140, the only one on I-95 in Virginia (opened 2019), was cited as a key attractor. Embry Mill, approved in the mid-2000s as a mixed-use community, sits immediately west.
This would be the third Buc-ee’s in Virginia, following Harrisonburg (opened ~2025) and the New Kent project. The approval culminates a roughly three-year process. Construction cannot begin until OSAR approval and final site plan review.
The decision highlights ongoing tensions in Stafford among economic development, commercial tax-base diversification, and quality-of-life concerns in growing residential corridors. Supporters see relief for residential taxpayers and job creation; opponents worry about the character of the Exit 140 gateway and daily life in adjacent neighborhoods.
County leaders and residents will now monitor implementation, traffic mitigation effectiveness, and long-term corridor impacts as the project advances.
