Ohio’s next Buc-ee’s is no longer waiting on a land deal. The planned travel center has moved one clear step beyond The Coconut Mama’s previous Ohio Buc-ee’s update, although drivers should not expect construction activity anytime soon.
Buc-ee’s Mansfield LLC purchased 37.5 acres near the Interstate 71 and State Route 39 interchange for $2.625 million. The completed property transaction gives the company control of the site planned for its second Ohio store.
What changed for Ohio?
When the Mansfield project’s major local approvals were completed in June 2026, Buc-ee’s was still under contract for the property. Closing the purchase removes that condition and turns the site from land the company intended to buy into land it owns.
That is meaningful progress, but it is not a groundbreaking. The next reported step is approval of the design plans, and additional permits will be needed before construction can begin. Buc-ee’s has not announced a firm opening date for the store.
Company representatives previously discussed a 2028 timeline with Mansfield officials. That remains a planning target rather than a guaranteed opening window, especially while design work and major road and utility improvements are still ahead.
What Buc-ee’s has planned
The approved development agreement describes a roughly 74,000-square-foot travel center with 120 fueling positions. The project is expected to create between 175 and 225 full-time jobs and represents about $50 million in private investment. Like other Buc-ee’s locations, it would combine fuel with a large store selling prepared food, snacks, road-trip supplies and branded merchandise.
The surrounding infrastructure is a major part of the schedule. Plans call for three roundabouts, a new public street, and expanded water and sewer service around the interchange. Buc-ee’s agreed to advance an estimated $15 million for that work, with part of the cost recovered through a charge on non-fuel purchases at the future store.
What drivers should watch next
The clearest signs of another real advance will be approved design plans, construction permits, infrastructure contracts or an announced groundbreaking. Until one of those milestones arrives, the Mansfield location should be described as approved and planned, not under construction.
Ohio already has one operating Buc-ee’s in Huber Heights, which opened in April 2026. The Mansfield project would give the state a second store and put the chain along the busy I-71 corridor between Cleveland and Columbus. It would also be Northeast Ohio’s first Buc-ee’s, bringing the brand closer to drivers from the Cleveland region and communities along the northern half of I-71. Owning the site makes that plan more concrete, but the long road from property purchase to opening day is only beginning.
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