Buc-ee’s expects to open a Lafayette store late next year after it cleared its first hurdles Thursday night.
The Lafayette Board of Zoning Adjustment unanimously approved eight variances related to parking lot landscaping, parking spaces, architectural requirements and sign regulations for the company’s proposed site at the northeast corner of Louisiana Avenue and Interstate 10.
Other hurdles remain, but the convenience store giant is planning a 74,000-square-foot store with gas pumps and nearly 700 parking spaces to open ahead of the 2025 holiday season.
Scott Ratcliff, Buc-ee’s director of engineering, said after the meeting that the popular convenience store chain has the support of city officials and is working with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to conduct a traffic study and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to renew an environmental permit for the site.
The store proposed for Lafayette would be one of the company’s largest and be similar to stores located in Hillsboro, Texas, and Sevierville, Tennessee.
“It’s a great community,” Ratcliff said of the Lafayette site. “It’s on the trip. People are coming through this area on I-10, and we want to capture them and bring them into town.”
The Lafayette Buc-ee’s would likely have a beach theme and will feature local artisans alongside staples such as beaver nuggets, pulled pork sandwiches and beef jerky, Ratcliff said. Local artisans will have to keep up with the demand of Buc-ee’s customers, which Ratcliff said can be tricky.
“But we try to bring in as much local culture as we can,” he said.
Construction plans are well underway, Ratcliff said, with the build out expected to take about 13 months. The project lies within an overlay district and must follow architectural guidelines, but Buc-ee’s requested variances to be consistent with its brand.
Buc-ee’s rendering for the proposed Lafayette site
Among its requests was for a sign that would be 125 feet high, which is well above the 30-foot limit but more visible to I-10 motorists. The company also requested less landscaping and more parking spots than are required in an overlay district.
No one spoke out against the variance requests at Thursday’s meeting.
“We anticipate that, if the project does move forward,” said Mandi Mitchell, president and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, “a significant economic impact for the city of Lafayette and the parish in the way of well over 100 jobs — at least 150 jobs — and a significant amount of additional retail sales and property taxes at this location that has sat dormant for several decades.”
Before approving the variances, board chair Garland Pennison asked Ratcliff if Buc-ee’s basically laid down a plan and said “This is what we get” or if plans were tailored to the proposed site.
Ratcliff said several variables were taken into consideration on the layout and store’s position due to overhead powerlines and adjacent streets. After explaining some of the steps the company had taken, such as trees planned along the I-10 frontage road to serve as a buffer between the adjacent roadways, Ratcliff finally said: “So I guess I’m fishing: What are you looking for?”
Pennison agreed that Buc-ee’s had made accommodations to meet the needs of the proposed site. The committee then unanimously agreed to the variance requests.
If the deal happens, it would likely be the second Buc-ee’s location in Louisiana by the time it opens. The company’s Ruston location along Interstate 20 is expected to open next year.
It’s not known when Buc-ee’s is expected to close a deal to purchase the 40-acre property, which extends from Louisiana Avenue to Shadow Bluff Drive. Super 1 owns seven acres, and Castille Development Roadway Project LLC, which is registered to Charles A. Castille Jr. of Baton Rouge, owns the rest.
Acadiana Business Editor Adam Daigle contributed to this report.