Nebraska’s first Buc-ee’s has moved beyond the rumor stage and into a much more expensive phase. After the project cleared an earlier development hurdle, the Gretna City Council approved an agreement on July 29 that could provide as much as $32 million in tax-based reimbursements.
The proposed travel center would be built in the Nebraska Crossing Good Life District near Interstate 80 and Highway 31, southwest of Omaha. That location would put Buc-ee’s directly beside one of the country’s most important cross-country highways.
Plans call for a 74,000-square-foot store with 108 fueling positions, at least 20 electric-vehicle chargers and approximately 175 full-time jobs, with starting pay projected between $19 and $22 an hour. The entire development is estimated to cost more than $107.8 million and occupy 27.8 acres.
What the $32 million agreement means
The incentive package is not simply a $32 million check handed to Buc-ee’s before construction. It allows the company to seek reimbursement from tax revenue generated through the development: roughly $9 million through occupation tax reimbursement and about $23.1 million through sales tax reimbursement…