Overview:
Buc-ee's has contributed an estimated $1 million in sales tax revenue to the local economy of Johnstown since its opening in March.
Since its opening in March 2024, Buc-ee’s has become a hot topic in Colorado. Thousands have made the trek to the Texas-based, record-setting gas station, bearing witness to the location’s 116 gas pumps and enjoying the chain’s legendary chopped brisket sandwich, beef jerky wall and spotless bathrooms.
“This place is insane,” said traveler Sam Garcia of Las Cruces, New Mexico, after his first experience at the location just outside of Johnstown. “I’ve never been into a gas station with a home furniture section before, so that’s new to me.”
When Buc-ee’s opened in Johnstown, most locals welcomed the Buc-ee’s giant cartoon beaver mascot with open arms. Johnstown Mayor Michael P. Duncan fought for his town to receive Colorado’s first Buc-ee’s location and Coloradans backed him up, as hundreds lined up outside at 6:00 am ahead of the location’s grand opening.
Mayor Duncan says that Buc-ee’s has been a boon to Johnstown. “Since Buc-ee’s opened, we’ve seen increased interest from developers and retailers looking to invest in the Highway 60 corridor,” Mayor Duncan said. “Local businesses—especially restaurants and local businesses—reported more foot traffic, fueled by the steady stream of visitors to Buc-ee’s. It has created an economic ripple effect we’re actively working to build on.”
Since the opening of Colorado’s first Buc-ee’s location in Johnstown, the city has seen a significant increase in tax revenue. Mayor Duncan recognizes that the bump in tax revenue hasn’t come from the company alone, but he does acknowledge that it’s played a large role.
“We’ve seen a notable increase in overall sales tax revenue,” Mayor Duncan said. “While it’s important to recognize that this growth stems from multiple sources—including broader regional development—Buc-ee’s has certainly played a role. Over the past year, Buc-ee’s has generated an estimated $1 million in sales tax revenue, contributing meaningfully to our local economy.”
Mayor Duncan says that extra tax revenue has been allocated to infrastructure projects to help benefit the city’s residents. “Sales tax revenue is allocated primarily to the Town’s General Fund, which supports essential services such as public safety, parks, and infrastructure,” Mayor Duncan said. “A smaller portion also goes to the Street and Alley Fund, helping maintain and improve our roadways.”
One manager at a locally owned business backs up what Mayor Duncan reports, saying that the new Buc-ee’s has actually had a positive impact on their business, despite being less than a mile from the establishment. That boost has mainly come from an increase in traffic to the area and revamped infrastructure that came along with the new gas station.
“I’d say that Buc-ee’s has had a positive impact on us,” said the manager, who wishes to remain anonymous. “It was rough when they were building it and had the roads all torn up, but since then, we’ve seen more people come through here. We’ve seen better sales and better traffic. It’s been good.”
Buc-ee’s 74,000 square-foot Johnstown location was the biggest gas station in the country at the time of construction, but the company evidently wanted more out of the local market. After cornering the North of Denver economy, Buc-ee’s corporate turned its attention to South of Denver, proposing the construction of a second super gas station in Palmer Lake, a small town of around just 2,500 residents in between Castle Rock and Colorado Springs, just off I-25.
The Palmer Lake location proved to be a different story from Johnstown. Hundreds of residents fought back against the proposed new gas station, citing concerns of harming small businesses in the area as a primary reason, ultimately resulting in the company withdrawing its bid for annexation of land in mid-March.
“Many residents are worried about the impact on local businesses, environmental issues and the legality of the annexation process being followed,” wrote Tri-Lakes Preservation on their website, a local organization that opposed the construction of Buc-ee’s in Palmer Lake.
Another website with the address stopbuceespalmerlake.com popped up online, sharing a similar sentiment about Buc-ee’s Palmer Lake location. “Tri-Lakes Colorado residents say NO to unreasonable and excessive commercial development!” reads the front page of its website. “How excessive? Buc-ee’s holds the record for the world’s largest gas station.”
Things escalated fast, as around 300 Palmer Lake residents showed up to a town hall meeting last December to voice their opposition to the project. After nearly two months of hearings and opposition, the plans for a Palmer Lake Buc-ee’s location were scrapped, resulting in a victory for the anti-Buc-ee’s protesters.
However, questions still remain. Were the concerns of Palmer Lake residents warranted? Would a new Buc-ee’s location harm small businesses in Colorado’s Tri-Lake area? According to Mayor Duncan and some employees of local businesses near its Johnstown location, the answer is more complicated than anticipated.
“The impact [of Buc-ee’s on Johnstown] has been multifaceted,” Mayor Duncan said. “Buc-ee’s employs approximately 250 individuals with an average starting wage of $15/hour. They draw a customer base from over 50 miles away, with nearly 85,000 visits each month and peak hours seeing over 800 visits per hour. Beyond economic numbers, they’ve also contributed $250,000 toward local programming, including our Interchange Gateway Project at I-25 and Highway 60. They’ve shown interest in sponsoring community events and installed wayfinding signage directing visitors to local assets such as Downtown, the Lake Park and the Johnstown YMCA.”
Mayor Duncan acknowledges that when the store first opened in Johnstown, there were some speed bumps and challenges, mainly in the form of increased traffic. Since then, he reports that those issues have been ironed out.
“The only notable challenge was the increase in traffic during the grand opening week, which was expected,” Mayor Duncan said. “Since then, operations have stabilized and integrated smoothly into our community.’
A separate employee at another local business nearby also has nothing but good things to say about Johntown’s new supersized gas station. “I think [Buc-ee’s is] awesome,” said the anonymous employee. “I’m always going over there to get food; we get some of their staff that comes over here when they get off. I’m actually headed over there for lunch now.”
The Love’s, Loaf ‘n Jug and Sinclair gas stations in Johnstown all declined to comment when Bucket List contacted them about Buc-ee’s effect on their business.
I-25 Exit 252 was permanently transformed when Buc-ee’s came to town. What was a seldom used exit by travelers is now something akin to an entertainment attraction, which has been a boost to local businesses and the town of Johnstown itself.
While it is impossible to say whether Palmer Lake’s local businesses would have benefited in the same way, we won’t know because the company abandoned its plan in the face of community opposition. As the company scouts new locations along the I-25 corridor, Johnstown remains happy that they invested in the cartoon beaver early.
“While I can’t speak for other communities, I can confidently say Buc-ee’s has been a great fit for Johnstown,” Mayor Duncan said. “Our town staff worked proactively to support their integration—from development coordination to workforce partnerships and philanthropic initiatives. We’re proud of the relationship we’ve built and the mutual benefits it continues to bring.”
