Buc-ee’s, a popular Texas-based travel center, entered into a memorandum of understanding and a development agreement with the Springville City Council on Tuesday to build its first location in Utah.

Buc-ee’s intends to construct a 74,000-square-foot gas and convenience store on undeveloped land west of Interstate 15 off exit 261, near 1400 N and 2600 West in Springville.

“No final document has been signed, but we certainly wouldn’t get to this point if we didn’t have a lot of confidence in them and our ability to be able to finalize this transaction,” Mayor Matt Packard said.

Stan Beard, director of real estate and development at Buc-ee’s, said the company’s first store in Utah belongs in Springville and that it is roughly nine months away from putting a shovel in the ground.

“We are a family travel center, we’re the fun store, and if this isn’t a fun family town, I don’t know what is,” Beard said. “So we belong here.”

As part of the MOU, Buc-ee’s is responsible for providing infrastructure, though the city will reimburse the company for expenses deemed to be system public improvements.

That entails a 50% reimbursement of Buc-ee’s construction costs to install curb-to-curb street improvements adjacent to the property as well as costs of any future traffic signals at the 1400 N and 2600 West intersection, according to city documents.

The city will also pay back Buc-ee’s the actual costs for installing a water line and sewer upsizing, $625,000 towards a sewer lift station, $600,000 towards transportation impact fees and $400,000 towards storm drain fees.

The MOU can be terminated if Buc-ee’s terminates the purchase and sale contract for any reason.

The agreement comes over a month after a rumor spread that Buc-ee’s was targeting Spanish Fork for its first Utah store. When Spanish Fork dismissed those rumors, suspicion pivoted to Springville, which responded with a cryptic message.

“All I can say is that I would watch for an official announcement from Buc-ee’s at some point if there’s going to be one coming or not,” Springville Director of Administration Patrick Monney told the Daily Herald on July 28.

The travel center started in Texas in 1983 and first expanded outside the Lone Star state in 2019 with a location in Alabama. It has gained popularity for its mega-sized stores, clean bathrooms, barbecue sandwiches and brand apparel, according to Southern Living.

Buc-ee’s can also serve as a substantial economic boost for towns where it chooses to build. Johnstown, Colorado, Mayor Michael Duncan told Denver ABC 7 that a Buc-ee’s that opened in the city in March of 2024 brought in 80,000 monthly visitors and about $1 million in annual tax revenue.

Beard said the company will hire 20-plus full-time jobs at a starting wage of $18 to $20 an hour.