Local residents and those traveling down I-35 in San Marcos can expect a new Buc-ee’s by May 2026.
Buc-ee’s celebrated the groundbreaking on its San Marcos travel center location on Jan. 29, with guests including members of the Hays County Commissioners Court and San Marcos City Council, Buc-ee’s staff, and Buc-ee’s founder and CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplin III.
The overview
The San Marcos City Council first considered a Chapter 380 Economic Development Incentive Agreement with Buc-ee’s in February 2024 and gave final approval in March, according to previous reporting by Community Impact. This agreement set the stage for the travel center’s construction, which San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson said will be completed in May 2026.
The new Buc-ee’s, located along I-35 near Yarrington Road, will span 74,707 square feet with an estimated cost of $47.2 million.
The breakdown
Job creation has been a key highlight for city officials. When first presented to the council, Buc-ee’s projected a minimum of 175 positions with an average annual wage of $43,855, plus benefits. However, Aplin said he expects the actual number of jobs to be "substantially more" than 175, offering what he described as “game-changing wages” rather than just competitive pay.
Mike Kamerlander, Hays Caldwell Economic Development Partnership CEO, and Mayor Hughson echoed Aplin’s sentiment, emphasizing the wages, time-off benefits, and opportunities for career advancement that Buc-ee’s offers its employees.
“Come in, work hard, get some training—you can move up,” Hughson said. “And they do. San Marcos is already a destination for so many Texans, so I think this was a great fit for Buc-ee’s,” Kamerlander added.
Council member Amanda Rodriguez expressed mixed feelings about the job opportunities, acknowledging that while residents need employment, she wants to see more long-term, stable jobs that enable people to support their families and build lasting careers. She added that she hopes the council will give the same expediency to other projects that provide worthwhile jobs.
Kamerlander also noted that the primary impact on local businesses will be lower gas prices. However, he emphasized that the store mainly intends to attract the 130,000 cars traveling on I-35 daily, rather than drawing in local residents, who he expects will continue to frequent their usual gas stations and stores.
The conditions
Another highlight for city staff is the increase in sales tax and property tax revenue.
The proposed economic development incentive was a 50% sales tax rebate for a 15-year term, with equal participation by Hays County, with the city capturing 100% of the property taxes generated by the project, according to the City Council agenda.
“Let me tell you something different about Buc-ee’s—they did not ask for any rebate on their property taxes. I loved at the [City Council] meeting when he said, ‘Oh, we pay our property tax,” Hughson said. “It was a split on the sales tax—sales tax, we don't have now—and I'm happy to share some of that back with the company, who's bringing us a lot of new sales tax and paying...the full cost of their property tax.”
The approach
As stated in previous reporting by Community Impact, the travel center will not be located within any Edwards Aquifer Zone or Water Quality Zone. A presentation given to City Council on Feb. 20, 2024, describes multiple pro-environmental water and light features Buc-ee’s agreed to, including the installation of oil water separators to receive runoff from fueling areas, along with rain-sensor irrigation systems and a rainwater harvesting system—which is the company’s first.
The exterior light fixtures will be fully shielded, cut-off, and 100% downward directional, with mounting kept as low as practical to minimize light pollution, according to the city council presentation.
Additionally, the travel center will feature electric vehicle charging stations, with the presentation noting that approximately 100-175 stations will be installed.
“I was happy to see the rainwater harvesting there—it even goes beyond that, though,” council member Rodriguez said. “There's various aspects of this project that look so much different than what they could have looked like in other cities because of the fact that we prioritize our environmental protections in a different way.”
Stan Beard, Buc-ee’s director of real estate and development, emphasized that all Buc-ee’s locations are highly attentive to stormwater management, control, and quality. He explained that Buc-ee’s differs from other stores in the industry by installing oil-water separators in every basin of the stormwater system.
Beard also stated that the store will feature a low-maintenance and low-irrigation landscape.
Digging deeper
CEO and founder Aplin stated that the company chose San Marcos to build a location not only because it is a great town, but also because it’s on I-35, has students from Texas State University, along with a good hiring employment base, making it ideal for the Buc-ee’s brand.
The Buc-ee’s mission, according to Aplin, is to provide exceptional service for the traveling public, whether it's fuel, providing restroom breaks, or food—just an overall “exceptional experience.”
The background
Aplin founded Buc-ee’s in 1982 and in 2019, started to expand outside of Texas, with locations now in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and more, according to the Buc-ee’s website.
“We're just excited about being back in Texas, developing in Texas, because it's where our heart really is,” Aplin said. “Texas is such a great place to be in business, from the [lack of] taxation, from the people, it's just a great place."
