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The sun rises beyond the 120 gasoline pumps outside a Buc-ee's store early Thursday, April 4, 2024, in Johnstown, Colo.

David Zalubowski, AP Photo

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A statue of Buc-ee the beaver stands outside a Buc-ee's store as the sun rises early Thursday, April 4, 2024, in Johnstown, Colo.

David Zalubowski, AP Photo

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The Interstate 15 241 exit is pictured near the site of a future Buc-ee's in Springville on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

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Dennis Gallagher came to the Springville City Council meeting Tuesday to discuss a matter, but when he stepped to the podium, he first raved about the news the city had announced minutes before: Buc-ee’s is coming to Springville.

“That is the most exciting thing I’ve heard in a long time,” Gallagher said. “I’ve been to Buc-ee’s. And people go on dates to Buc-ee’s. I’d go to Buc-ee’s before I’d go to Disneyland, frankly.”

He wasn’t the only one excited.

When the City Council addressed its plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with Buc-ee’s, a popular Texas-based travel center chain, to develop on land west of Interstate 15 off exit 241, news of the announcement quickly spread, with residents across Utah chiming in on social media.

“Heck yeah!” Mary Robb replied on Facebook. “Now I get to see what the hype is about!”

“Ready for BBQ and banana pudding!” Kimberly Christensen added.

Even Gov. Spencer Cox retweeted the announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It wasn’t all celebratory reactions, though, as some lamented it was just another gas station, while many expressed skepticism, perhaps still upset over the false rumors that the travel center was going to Spanish Fork.

“I ain’t falling for no banana in the tail pipe. … Again,” Michael Denton commented on Facebook.

Adding to the feeling of inevitability, however, was Springville City Administrator Patrick Monney, who said the city has been in discussions for over a year with Buc-ee’s, and signing a public MOU all but solidifies things.

“This memorandum of understanding has been signed, and we’ve got a lot of things that have been worked out,” Monney said. “So I think we’re well on our way to bringing Buc-ee’s here, and the city’s excited about it. It’s going to be a huge thing for Utah County — actually, possibly even beyond that.”

Additionally, Buc-ee’s director of real estate and development Stan Beard flew from Texas to attend Springville’s council meeting and agreed to speak to the Daily Herald about the news.

“It’s been a long time coming — a lot of rumors,” Beard said. “But Springville is the kind of community where we are going to prosper, and our partnership is going to be bigger than I think either one of us think it is, and we’re happy to be in Utah. We’re ready to get going.”

There are currently 54 Buc-ee’s across 11 states, with most located in Texas or the south. Westward expansion has already started, though. One opened last year in Colorado and an Arizona location will open in 2026.

According to Beard, coming to Utah is a no-brainer.

“Are you kidding me? It’s a beautiful state. Our customer is a traveler, a tourist. They’re coming from hundreds of miles away. Summertime, camping and fishing, wintertime skiing — the I-15 is full of our people,” he said. “And I hear a rumor that this might be the best Buc-ee’s ever built.”

The Springville location isn’t by chance, either. Monney said Buc-ee’s has a map of the United States and looks for smaller communities to join that would serve as a convenient location for people to visit.

The Art City met that criteria because it isn’t overdeveloped and has easy access to I-15, U.S. 6 and sits in the heart of Utah County.

“In their plan for the state of Utah, they had Springville pegged as, ‘Hey, this is really where we want to go,'” Monney said.

The feeling was mutual from the city.

“When the conversations got started, Carla (Wiese), our economic development person, was a big part of it. … I was adamant, like whatever we do, we can’t mess this up,” Monney said. “Just think about the financial impact it can have on the city, just through sales tax alone and job creation.”

People clamoring for beaver treats will need to hold on to their tails, though. The travel center will develop in an area with hardly any existing public infrastructure and will take time to build.

Beard said Buc-ee’s will have to work with the Utah Department of Transportation before beginning construction, but he estimated the company is nine months to a year away from breaking ground, and that it will open 15 to 18 months after that.

“It’ll happen quicker than any of us expect,” he said.