Oak Creek Buc-ee's plans move forward, but could see more roadblocks

OAK CREEK, Wis. - The state's first Buc-ee's is two steps closer to reality.

The Oak Creek Plan Commission delivered good news for the Texas-based travel center on Tuesday night, April 22, while neighbors are trying to fight it in court.

What we know:

It took an hour and 15 minutes to get through Tuesday's Oak Creek Plan Commission meeting. The commissioners didn't have many questions for the gas station giant, either.

They passed two recommendations to the Oak Creek Common Council.

• The first: to approve the conditional use permit to allow Buc-ee's to operate under restrictions.
• The second: A certified survey map that outlines what the property will look like.

The 120 gas pumps and 74,000-square-foot building would be built farthest north.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Four acres along 27th Street would remain empty for "future development."

"They had kind of left-over land and are creating an opportunity for a future development on lot 2," Oak Creek Community Development Director Kristi Lane said. "Of course, that would be forthcoming, in the future."

Local perspective:

Oak Creek Neighbors United, the group suing the City of Oak Creek over the Buc-ee's proposal, isn't buying it.

"Anything that gets a blanket approval without understanding what's going in the area is bad business," neighbor Mary Ellen Malcom said.

But neighbors say they are encouraged by development regarding the traffic impact analysis Buc-ee's submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

"If the DOT does not sign off on this traffic impact analysis, this project isn't moving forward," Lane said.

What's next:

The state is still reviewing that analysis. Both the permit and the survey map now go to the Common Council for consideration. The public will have another chance to weigh in at that meeting, which could come next month.

The goal is to open the location in early 2027.