By BEX Staff for AZBEX
Plans to bring Arizona’s first Buc-ee’s retail and travel center to a 71-acre property at the SEC of Interstate 10 and Bullard Avenue in Goodyear moved a step closer to reality last week when the Goodyear Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend a rezoning request for the site.
Media reports say the west side of the property would feature a 75.4KSF Buc-ee’s retail store with a service station. Buc-ee’s is a popular chain across the south, particularly in Texas, and offer large footprint retail/convenience stores with a wider array of products and services than most competitors.
To the east side of the property will be a multi-building light industrial/warehouse development of approximately 722KSF.
City staff recommended approval for the request, saying it would convert an underused site into a commercial and industrial center that would provide jobs for Goodyear residents and benefits for travelers and tourists.
Potential concerns the proposal could face include possible traffic impacts and changes to the area’s character.
Other news sources said if the planned Buc-ee’s is built to the proposed size, it would be the world’s largest convenience store. Buc-ee’s holds the current record with its 74.7KSF store in Sevierville, Tenn.
The Goodyear Buc-ee’s would not be considered a “truck stop,” since it would lack necessary features like overnight parking, truck maintenance areas and services, showers or laundry facilities.
Company officials said they have not closed on the site and the land is currently under contract. If the plan receives the necessary approvals, construction timelines for previously built stores have taken around one year to build. The most recent Buc-ee’s location to open, which was its first store in Missouri, was reported to be a $40M development.
