SPRINGVILLE, Utah — A dark panic thicker than the nastiest inversion settled over northern Utah on Wednesday as a rumor spread that (dare we say it?) Buc-ee's was no longer coming to the Beehive State.
Duh-duh-duhhhhhh!
Thankfully, all is right in the world, and Buc-ee's is still full steam ahead to open its first Utah location in Springville. You just have to blame the proverbial red tape for the agonizing delays.
"I think people over time would think, well, certainly this is going to be going faster than it is, but you know, the processes take time," said Springville City Director of Administration Patrick Mooney.
It was back in September when the Beaver Nugget dreams of many Utahns became a reality as Springville city leaders announced it had entered into a memorandum of understanding to bring the mega-popular chain to the area.
Months later, and the site, which sits west of Interstate 15 and south of 1400 North, remains as barren as a Buc'ee's smoker when they're out of brisket. Mooney agrees that people likely expect to see some kind of development or dirt being turned, but these things take time.
"There's so much work that goes into this process before you'll ever see anything take place out there on the ground of actually seeing the dirt move, especially when you have an area like Buc-ee's is looking at where there is no development out there," he said.
The Buc-ee's site currently has no infrastructure, meaning no power, sewer or water. Plus, roads need to be built, as well as other development plans that need to be approved, which Mooney acknowledged that the chain and the city are currently working on.
City leaders, including Mooney, are excited to see the impact Buc-ee's will hopefully have on Springville, including well-paying jobs and tax revenue that benefits the community. Mooney just asks people to have one thing you won't find on the shelves at Buc-ee's.
"They need to be a lot patient," he said of eager Buc-ee's fans. "These processes take a couple of years, and if everything goes well, we might look at a 2028 spring opening. I mean, that's kind of what we'd all like to see happen, including Buc-ee's, but you know, processes take some time."
