MANSFIELD, Ohio — Buc-ee's cleared a major local hurdle Tuesday night when Mansfield City Council unanimously approved a development agreement for the company's planned travel center near the I-71/Ohio 39 interchange. The vote moves the project forward on 37.5 acres in Mansfield and keeps a possible opening in the second quarter of 2028 within reach.

The plan calls for a 75,000-square-foot Buc-ee's and 200 full-time jobs, a scale that makes the site one of the most watched additions on the Buc-ee's future opening list. It would be the chain's second Ohio location, following the store that opened in April along I-70 in Huber Heights near Dayton.

For Jodie Perry, the mayor who has been tracking the project since Buc-ee's officials reached out just over a year ago, Tuesday's vote turned a long-running pitch into a concrete next step. City leaders also tied the deal to a New Community Authority that will levy a 2-percent development charge on non-fuel purchases once the travel center opens, part of a package meant to help cover the cost of growth rather than leave it to the city alone.

Buc-ee's says it will pay for about $15 million in infrastructure, including extensions of city water and sewer lines and road work that includes three roundabouts on Ohio 39. The company has said the heavy investment is part of how it tries to make a site work before the first car pulls in. Scott Ratcliff said Buc-ee's wants to be a good neighbor and is working with the local community, but he also acknowledged there are concerns around the project, a reminder that the approval does not end the debate around traffic, access and the pace of change.

Ratcliff said the chain looks for locations between destinations, where travelers can stop, stretch, eat, refuel and move on. He said the company was drawn to Mansfield because the community was open and eager to work with it, and because the I-71 corridor brings the kind of traffic Buc-ee's looks for. State estimates put daily traffic around Mansfield on I-71 at 35,000 to 40,000 vehicles, but Buc-ee's does not allow commercial trucks at its travel centers, a detail that underscores how differently the company uses the highway network than a typical roadside stop.

Buc-ee's, founded in 1982, now has 55 travel centers open in 12 states. Mansfield would be a small but notable part of that expansion, and the council vote makes the next phase clearer: if the project keeps moving, construction could lead to an opening in 2028. What remains unanswered is whether any additional local or regulatory approvals are still needed before dirt work can begin.