Buc-ee’s Travel Center gets a boost as Mansfield annexation effort begins

MANSFIELD — Darrell Banks reached back four decades — and across the political aisle — on Tuesday in giving credit for the potential of a new Buc-ee’s Travel Center at the I-71/Ohio 39 interchange.

He thanked former state Rep. Frank Sawyer for pushing the state to build the interchange, which has largely sat dormant since it was constructed in the mid 1990s.

“He pushed to get this intersection opened up to create business. Frank was a good man that got it done.

“And he was a Democrat,” the Republican county commissioner said with a laugh during a meeting Tuesday.

Banks’ comments came during a meeting with Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry and Madison Township Trustee Dan Fletcher to discuss the potential new project that could see the construction of the sprawling retail center.

A new Buc-ee’s Travel Center could mean more than 200 new, full-time jobs in the city. It would be located at a site that could encompass more than 70,000 square feet at an interchange that was engineered by K.E. McCartney & Associates in 1993.

A Mansfield native who graduated from Malabar High School, Sawyer earned a journalism degree from The Ohio State University. He represented the county in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1983 to 1998 before he left office due to medical reasons.

The interchange was a project he pushed the state to complete through the Ohio Department of Transportation, though it came to fruition after he left office.

Sawyer left office after a brain hemorrhage, but continued to serve the community until his death in 2015.

City, county and townships work together on deal

The project to bring Buc-ee’s to the interchange has been a cooperative effort among city, county and officials in Madison and Mifflin townships.

It will require the annexation of 110.757 acres from Madison Township into the city and 1.781 from Mifflin Township, a process that formally began Monday night when Mifflin trustees approved their consent of the annexation.

County commissioners voted Tuesday to “acknowledge” the annexation request. Madison Township trustees are scheduled to vote on it March 16 and it’s expected to come before Mansfield City Council on March 17.

It would then go back to county commissioners for approval. Once that is done, the city must wait 60 days before local lawmakers could make it official.

The company plans to purchase the land once the annexation is complete and the city determines proper zoning for the development.

“Buc-ee’s is excited about our partnership with the City of Mansfield and Richland County,” a Buc-ee’s spokesman said Monday in a statement. “We still have some work to do before closing on the property, but both the city’s and county’s show of support is certainly a huge step in the right direction.”

That support continued during Tuesday’s commissioners’ meeting.

“This is a big deal for us,” Commissioner Cliff Mears said. “I am very excited about this.”

Perry repeated Tuesday it would be a “Type 2” annexation, which leaves the land in the respective townships. Townships would keep collecting property taxes while the county benefits from increased sales taxes and the city benefits from millions of additional dollars in annual payroll.

“It’s really one of those opportunities that come along all too rarely where it really is a win for everyone at the table,” she said.

Madison Township trustee says it’s ‘game-changing’

Fletcher, who called the development “game-changing,” said the township infrastructure could not support an operation the size of Buc-ee’s, necessitating the need for annexation. The company would hook into the city’s water and sewer lines, which are on the east side of I-71 near Sites Road.

Former Mansfield Mayor Lydia Reid, who held the office from 1993 to 2007, is credited with pushing the city’s water and sewer lines out near the interchange.

“I’m excited,” Fletcher said. “The site’s actually just down the road from my house … about a mile,” he said.

“We’ll benefit from a trickle-down effect. What’s good for the county, what’s good for the city (is good for the township). I’m sure our board (of trustees) is in favor of progress,” Fletcher said.

Perry pointed out the annexation includes land on and I-71 and said the actual Buc-ee’s development will only occupy about 35 acres, lessening the impact on farmland in the area.

In terms of what has taken so long to see the interchange developed, Commissioner Tony Vero said the land around that area is privately owned.

“Maybe the owner didn’t want to sell, right? This is the United States of America and you have owners who may or may not have wanted to sell. You have to have a willing partner who wants to sell the land,” Vero said.

“It appears that’s the case now,” he said, mentioning new development along the I-71 corridor at Hanley Road and also at Ohio 97.

“I also don’t think we (always) did a good job of capitalizing on our location. I think that has changed. I’m not saying we’re great shakes, but I think this is the culmination of the partnership (among) the townships, the county and the city,” Vero said.

“I think it’s a sign that people acknowledge the growth in Richland County and that it’s a place friendly to do business with in a way that’s beneficial to all,” he said.

Deal could protect property taxes for townships, schools

Perry said the city and company would likely develop an agreement in April, “which will spell out a lot of those specifics, who’s doing what and how all of that will work.”

Some of those agreements could include tax incentives for the company that may not take the form of traditional property tax abatements.

“That is the piece that is still being worked out. There are some different incentives that we can put on the table for a deal of this magnitude that would be a little different,” the mayor said.

“We’re trying to do it in a way that preserves the (tax) income the township and schools would get from property taxes. But (we would still offer help) because there is some pretty significant (infrastructure) upgrades happening.

“Buc-ee’s runs into this everywhere they go. So they have been really good to work with on that,” Perry said.

Vero said protecting the schools and the community was important to Buc-ee’s officials.

“They were pretty mindful of not harming the schools,” he said.

Along with its famous beaver mascot, Buc-ee’s has competitive wages and benefits for its workers, according to published reports. The company is scheduled to open its first Ohio location on April 6 in Huber Heights, near Dayton.

A Buc-ee’s Travel Center is a one-of-a-kind destination experience, the company spokesperson said, “known for its pristine bathrooms, friendly staff and freshly prepared food.”

“Featuring in-house BBQ, baked goods and sweets, clothing, a unique collection of gifts and weekend getaway gear, Buc-ee’s has redefined the traditional pit stop,” the spokesperson said.

Like other Buc-ee’s locations, the local store would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Texas, Buc-ee’s has 36 stores across the Lonestar State and 18 other locations throughout Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The chain also boasts multiple records. Its Luling, Texas, store is the largest convenience store in the world at 75,593 square feet and The world’s longest car wash checks in at 255 feet of conveyor.