Community members gathered to celebrate the official ground breaking of the new Buc-ee’s travel center in San Marcos.
The ceremony took place at the gas station’s construction site at 2 p.m. on Jan. 29 on the southwest corner of Yarrington and IH-35.
While construction on the project started Oct. 1, 2024, the construction of Buc-ee’s building itself will now begin. Mayor Jane Hughson and Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, the CEO and founder of Buc-ee’s, kicked off the ground breaking ceremony with a welcome to the soon-to-be Buc-ee’s.
Buc-ee’s is way more than a travel stop, it’s an experience,” Mayor Hughson said. “With the help of way more than 175 full-time jobs with competitive salaries and benefits, jobs that we welcome to our community, Buc-ee’s is going to make a wonderful addition to San Marcos.
According to Aplin, the $47 million project spanning 74,707 square feet is estimated to be completed in May 2026. Aplin’s goal is for Buc-ee’s patrons to contribute to the San Marcos economy.
“We like doing business in business-friendly communities because projects are complicated, they’re big, they’re involved,” Aplin said. “When you come into a community with open arms, that says we want a Buc-ee’s in our community, then it just starts out the right way.”
According to Stan Beard, director of development and real estate for Buc-ee’s, the new location will bring around 175-200 jobs to San Marcos.
“We pay pretty well, $18-$20 bucks an hour, which is perfect for a college kid,” Beard said. “You got to be, you know, nice, hard-working, willing to show up on time, and that’s about it.”
While Buc-ee’s will bring new job opportunities and new visitors to San Marcos, some locals have concerns about the commercialization of San Marcos. Hughson said she does not think it will be a problem for San Marcos due to its location.
“The people who expressed [their concerns] to me were comparing it to the [Buc-ee’s] in New Braunfels,” Hughson said. “One of the reasons why [Buc-ee’s] like this location, easy off, easy back on [I-35], but if you want to go north, you can go around the back way.”
Josh Smith, the director of operations for the southeast locations of Buc-ee’s, has lived in Texas most of his life and appreciates the close-knit communities found within the state.
“What we’re going to bring is something to that traveler coming down the highway,” Smith said. “Everybody’s going to see a Buc-ee’s here in San Marcos and that’s going to open new doors for a lot of people traveling down I-35; they’re going to stop here and they’re going to see what San Marcos has to offer, and then they’re going to invest some of their time back into the community.”
