Stafford County’s plan for a Buc-ee’s travel center continues to stir debate as residents and local officials weigh the impact of the massive proposal. The Texas-based chain, known for its brisket sandwiches, baked goods, and massive convenience stores, has submitted plans for a 74,000SF facility with 120 fuel pumps near Courthouse Road and Austin Ridge Drive, just off I-95 at Exit 140, on the outskirts of Northern Virginia (a “border county” between the Fredericksburg area and NoVa) roughly an hour south of parts of Montgomery County without traffic.
A few months after the opening of Virginia’s first Buc-ee’s, dozens of residents turned out for a recent community meeting to question the proposal and share frustrations about how the project could affect nearby neighborhoods. Many expressed concern about additional congestion in an area that already sees heavy traffic during rush hour and school drop-off times. Others raised environmental and quality-of-life issues, noting that the site sits near several residential developments. According to FOX 5 DC, the discussion grew heated at times as residents pushed for clearer answers about how traffic and safety would be managed.
Buc-ee’s representatives told attendees that the travel center would be privately funded and that the company is not seeking tax incentives from the county. They also referred to a traffic study recommending the expansion of existing lanes at the intersection instead of a new direct access ramp to I-95, an explanation that some residents said did not go far enough to address safety concerns.
The conditional use permit for the project was originally filed in February 2024, and the process has been slowly advancing through county review. The Stafford County Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Wednesday, October 29, at 6 p.m. at the Stafford County Administration Building. That meeting marks a key deadline for the commission to make its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, which could begin formal votes on the project soon after. Another community meeting is expected later this month.
If approved, the Stafford County location would be the first Buc-ee’s in Northern Virginia and one of the largest travel centers in the region, joining a growing list of East Coast sites for the Texas-based brand.
