Ohio’s 2nd Buc-ee’s approved in Richland County amid neighbor opposition

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Ohio’s second Buc-ee’s has been approved south of Cleveland in Richland County, but neighbors next door are not happy.

An online petition opposing the location has over 1,800 signatures, the petition is unnamed. Among those opposed is the Stadelman’s, a farming family right next to the field, who will go from a quiet rural exit to a popular destination.

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Rachel Stadelman and her husband Nick farm the land bordering the future Buc-ee’s site. All that separates them is a gravel road.

From farmland to gas pumps

Right now, the exit is farmland on every corner. But Buc-ee’s is betting on the interstate traffic. The Texas-based travel center has become like a tourist destination.

The same 37.5 acres the Stadelmans lease and farm today will be over 100 gas pumps by 2028.

“I don’t know how we’re going to do it. Most of our farms are in Mansfield, so we have to go right through all of it,” Rachel Stadelman said.

Safety concerns on the highway

The Stadelmans raise cattle right next to the proposed site. They drive farm equipment, like tractors, trailers and combines on highway 39, the same route that will carry Buc-ee’s visitors every day. Some of that equipment is 16 feet wide.

“My husband’s been hit out here. He was on a smaller utility tractor. It broke a vertebra in his back. And I was in a hayfield heading toward Lucas, probably a quarter mile down the road, and I got hit,” Rachel Stadelman said.

Rachel Stadelman, emotional at times, said she fears what comes next for her family.

“The girls are just used to running around wild out here with me. Now I’m going to be scared of leaving them for a second. They’re going to have to stay with me all day. I won’t be able to take my eyes off of them. It just makes me sick,” she said.

Economic impact vs. farming future

Supporters point to the economic impact. Mansfield’s mayor Jodie Perry posted on social media after the council approved the project on June 2, saying Buc-ee’s will be a major economic boost for the city.

Buc-ee’s by the numbers, according to Perry:

• Buc-ee’s will spend $50 million to build the store
• $25 million in annual sales
• Up to 225 full-time jobs and 200 part time jobs (starting pay $18/hour
• Annual payroll is expected be $9 million

The city approved a financing deal through a New Community Authority. Under the agreement, Buc-ee’s will front the cost of building the necessary infrastructure, then get reimbursed through a 2% surcharge on retail sales at the store, excluding fuel. Of that 2%, the vast majority goes back to Buc-ee’s to cover its infrastructure costs, plus 6.35% interest. Once those costs are fully paid off, the surcharge drops to a quarter percent.

But for the Stadelmans, the math doesn’t add up.

“I don’t know how we’re going to farm anymore. I think it’s going to put us out of business,” Rachel Stadelman said.

Buc-ee’s did not respond to a request for comment.