Orange County NC Website
24 <br /> universe of applicants to which this will appeal is not unlimited. He said it is not unreasonable <br /> that a travel plaza would be interested in this land. He said he has tried to categorize concerns <br /> and benefits. He said the primary concerns are traffic, environmental, water issues, and nature <br /> of the use. He said a lot of those issues can be addressed if there is discussion about the scale <br /> of the project. He said this is an enormous project, but some of the issues could be addressed <br /> if there is a willingness on the part of the developer to reduce scale. He said he is curious to <br /> know if the developer would consider downsizing to 60 or 40 pumps. He said a travel plaza is <br /> a reasonable use for the property, but the scale raises issues. He said he is troubled by the <br /> criticism of the jobs, as they are jobs a lot of people will appreciate. He said school custodians <br /> do not even get benefits. He said he is also troubled by criticism of Buc-ee's being an out of <br /> state company. He said the County will never reach its economic development goals if all <br /> development must be NC based. He said the other large issue he has heard from opponents is <br /> that while Phase 2 developments are attractive, they are far off and ambiguous. He asked if it <br /> is possible to be more specific about phase 2 at this point. <br /> Beth Trahos said the Developer is willing to discuss all elements of the project, but <br /> noted that customers are looking for easy availability of gas. She said customers go into the <br /> store, and get sucked in, leaving the car at the pump. She said the quantity of pumping <br /> stations are necessary to accommodate the ease of people getting in and out of the center. <br /> Stan Beard said discussion is always an option. He said the scale is what makes Buc- <br /> ee's successful. He said at peak times of usage, all fueling positions are full, and the scale is <br /> large, because there are a lot of visitors. He said any reduction in scale does not get rid of the <br /> concerns being raised by the public, and it does not matter if there are 5 tanks or 6 tanks. He <br /> said phase two will succeed because of Buc-ee's success. He said part of a successful Buc- <br /> ee's operation is its large scale. He said he is open to discussing all issues, and hopes the <br /> BOCC will allow the Applicant time to consider all items that come up tonight. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said he feels there is a difference in the amount of problems, if <br /> there is less fuel stored. He said the common theme throughout the concerns is scale. <br /> Beth Trahos said Buc-ee's is a lot smaller than what could be built under current zoning <br /> conditions. She said Buc-ee's is 425,000 square feet, which is much smaller than 2 million <br /> square feet of distribution center. <br /> Commissioner Fowler asked if there is a reason why the water usage estimates have <br /> changed from 20% to 17% to 15%. <br /> Stan Beard said these numbers were based on bad information, and better information <br /> has been received. He said every single number has been combed through, in order to get the <br /> most accurate number possible. He apologized for fluctuations, and said data and numbers <br /> moves. He said nothing has moved in a material way. <br /> Kelsey Hall said removing the car wash did decrease the numbers. <br /> Commissioner Fowler said Buc-ee's has had no reportable gas spills, but asked if the <br /> number of unreportable has spills could be identified. <br /> Jason Harris said there has never been a reportable release from a fuel center, and <br /> anything that gets out is reportable. He said every 30 days evidence shows that no releases <br /> have happened. <br /> Commissioner Fowler asked if there have been surface spills. <br /> Jason Harris said he cannot lie, and there are spills. He said there are customer <br /> incidents, and there are mitigation responses. He said spills happen, and Buc-ee's does its <br /> best to control these and has a high level of maintenance. <br /> Commissioner Fowler asked if the number of storage tanks could be reduced from 6, as <br /> the spots are often used for parking for those wanting to go into the store, as opposed to buying <br /> gas. <br /> Jason Harris said the system has to be designed to meet peak demand. <br />