Sen. Michael Bennet takes stand against controversial Buc-ee’s annexation in Palmer Lake
PALMER LAKE, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D) is now weighing in on the controversial proposed annexation for a Buc-ee's location in Palmer Lake.
The proposed Buc-ee's, which would be located along I-25 and County Line Road, has stirred up plenty of mixed opinions, with some Palmer Lake residents raising concerns about water supply, pollution, impacts on local wildlife, and an increase in traffic that could overwhelm the rural area.
Earlier this year, the nonprofit group Integrity Matters filed a lawsuit to stop the upcoming annexation vote, accusing the town of breaking state annexation rules, open meetings laws, and even constitutional protections when approving annexation eligibility for the Buc-ee’s site.
Last week, a district court judge rejected the suit, clearing the way for trustees to vote on the annexation.
But on Monday, Sen. Michael Bennet issued a statement voicing his opposition to the annexation and applauding concerned Palmer Lake residents who have been outspoken against it.
"This so-called 'flagpole annexation' goes beyond a local land use issue," the statement read in part. "It would scar land that Colorado families have fought to protect for decades, drain our precious water resources, and flood a treasured landscape with noise, traffic, and light. It will affect millions of Coloradans who rely on this corridor, value our wildlife, and cherish the open spaces that define our state."
Read Sen. Bennet's full statement below:
“For more than a century, Greenland Ranch has stood as one of Colorado’s oldest continually operating cattle ranches — a living link to our history, our open spaces, and our way of life. For those who study the history of the West, or are fans of the Lonesome Dove series, Charles Goodnight often grazed his herds on the grass here. Since then, generations of Coloradans, from farmers and ranchers to conservationists and sportsmen, have worked together to protect this land. They understood that the lands and waters that define Colorado are not just property lines on a map — they are part of our heritage and our future.
“That’s why I cannot support the proposal to annex land across from Greenland Ranch for a massive Buc-ee’s development and why I applaud the local citizens there who have organized to oppose it. I have heard from numerous of them in the past six weeks. This so-called 'flagpole annexation' goes beyond a local land use issue. It would scar land that Colorado families have fought to protect for decades, drain our precious water resources, and flood a treasured landscape with noise, traffic, and light. It will affect millions of Coloradans who rely on this corridor, value our wildlife, and cherish the open spaces that define our state.
“This is not about whether a company does business in Colorado. It is about where this project should be built and whether we honor the legacy that Coloradans worked so hard to protect. To put this development across from one of our state’s greatest conservation landmarks would undermine everything Coloradans have sacrificed to preserve. It goes against our Colorado values.
“Colorado has always been defined by our values — our care for the land and water that sustain us, and our respect for one another as neighbors. Those values remind us that community voices matter, that some places are too important to sacrifice for short-term gain, and that being a good neighbor sometimes means saying no.
“We owe it to our children to defend Colorado’s values and the open spaces that define Colorado and to pass on, unspoiled, the inheritance we were given. We don’t get a second chance with places like Greenland Ranch. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. And our children will not forgive us if we squander it.”
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