Buc-ee’s, famous for Texas-sized travel centers, confirms pursuit in Kansas City, Kansas

The Kansas Speedway might get a new gas station — one with scores of fuel pumps and thousands of square feet in retail space.

At least that’s the type of development Buc-ee’s, a Texas-based chain, is known to build. On Friday, the company confirmed a new travel center is eyed on the western end of Kansas City, Kansas, two weeks after news of the massively popular company’s interest first broke.

Details remain light. But Stan Beard, Buc-ee’s director of real estate and development, said in a brief statement shared with The Star that an application to build its first travel center in KCK has been made.

“We are still in the early stages, but pleased that the project is beginning to take shape,” Beard said.

In late April, the company submitted site plans to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK for review. Listed as the next potential site is a 57-acre vacant lot just south of the Speedway along Village West Parkway.

Included in the company’s submission is a request to change the zoning classification for the area from agricultural to commercial on about 26 acres.

Reached by phone Friday afternoon, Unified Government spokeswoman Krystal McFeders said there was no firm date for when a proposal would come before the planning commission. She said conversations between the Unified Government, Kansas Speedway, and state officials on the specifics, including possible incentives, are ongoing.

McFeders also acknowledged the buzz around the project, saying Buc-ee’s has generated high community interest.

The company’s big stations are perhaps upstaged only by the fanbase. Its highway-side travel centers have become more than pit stops — they’re destinations for some.

Last year, the company opened its first Missouri store in Springfield, met with a warm welcome by Buc-ee’s loyalists and elected officials. The 53,000-square-foot center in Springfield boasts 120 fuel pumps, a barbecue station, a jerky bar, and a fudge shop.

Buc-ee’s is not the only big gas station to make a splash in the Kansas City metro.

St. Louis-based Wally’s, which also has a reputation for massive convenience stores, broke ground on its first local destination last year. Its Independence store is the company’s fourth.

The Star’s David Hudnall and Ilana Arougheti contributed to this report.