GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — A proposal to bring the first Buc-ee’s travel center to Indiana has drawn significant attention in the Johnson County city south of Indianapolis.

The 74,000-square-foot facility, planned near I-65 and Worthsville Road, went before the Greenwood Advisory Plan Commission on Monday night, but the commissioners did not vote on the proposal; instead, they continued the agenda item to July.

The proposed Buc-ee’s would include 120 fueling stations and 42 electric vehicle charging stations.

The project would require rezoning the property from agricultural to industrial, a sticking point for some longtime residents. While some see the development as a financial opportunity for the city, others worry about what a project of that scale could mean for traffic and safety in the surrounding area.

Brian More, a Greenwood resident who supports the proposal, said, “Buc-ee’s would be good business for the city of Greenwood. It will bring in revenue.”

But not everyone shares that view.

David Ebeyer, who also lives in the area, said the development may not serve the community the way that supporters hope. “I know that the area’s going to be developed, it just needs to be developed into something that would make sense for the community, not all of the people traveling here, spending 20 minutes at a Buc-ee’s and then leaving our area. They’re not really generating any revenue for Buc-ee’s.”

The area sees heavy congestion from nearby schools, and Amazon and FedEx plants. Ebeyer said adding thousands of additional visitors each week would push the roads past their limits. “All of the traffic that we have now, in addition to 11,000 people coming a week. It’s going to be absolutely insane out there. Regardless of what kind of infrastructure they’re going to put in, it’s still going to create a massive problem.”

Greenwood resident Deann Lautenbach raised concerns about the rezoning itself, warning that approving the change could open the door to broader, unwanted development. “They’re going to play you. They’re going to get it rezoned, and put fast-food places, they’re going to put whatever they want there because they got you to rezone it. The billionaires play off the small towns, and that’s what’s happening.”

She also expressed a more personal objection to the project. “Look at what Buc-ee’s is going to do. I’m going to be looking at a big beaver eclipse of my sunset that my parents died looking at.”

As the process moves forward, Lautenbach said she wants elected officials to answer for their decisions.

“The commission has to be held accountable,” she said.

More, however, said he trusts the process.

“We put these people in there for a reason. They’ll make the final decision in the county and the city of Greenwood government,” he said.

The proposal is scheduled to return before the Greenwood Advisory Plan Commission at 7 p.m. July 13 before heading to the full city council for a vote.

Greenwood’s mayor estimates that if the project receives approval, the Buc-ee’s travel center could open to the public within two and a half years.

This story, created from a script aired on WISH-TV, was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.

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