Wawa has its sights set on Upper Bucks County for a new location.
Plans were presented at the West Rockhill supervisors this month, proposing a new Wawa with gas pumps at the corner of State and Meetinghouse roads in Telford.
Provco Pinegood Telford, LLC has been developing Wawa stores around the area for the past 15 years, including a recently approved Wawa coming to Newtown.
This month, preliminary and final development plans submitted to the Bucks County Planning Commission were discussed at the township planning commission meeting on Aug. 8 and brought to the supervisors on Aug. 16.
Sketch plans were first presented to the township planning commission a year ago.
What does the plan for a West Rockhill Wawa include?
Julie Von Spreckelsen with Eastburn and Gray, who represents Provco, presented the proposal for a 6,049-square-foot convenience store, a canopy area with 16 gas pumps and 73 parking spaces, including seven oversized spots for larger vehicles such as landscaping trucks.
The property will have access off both streets with the State Road driveway not allowing for left turns exiting the lot. The Wawa would operate 24 hours a day under conditions laid out by township officials to increase safety, as well as reduce light pollution and noise.
Spreckelsen also provided updates on progress made over the past year, such as meeting with neighboring property owners to hear their feedback.
“We incorporated their suggested changes all in an effort to reduce impact as much as possible,” she said, which included increasing the berm on the rear property line, adding more landscaping and fencing, and moving the trash enclosure from the back of the property to the front.
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Tractor trailers among concerns over proposed West Rockhill Wawa
Road improvements, based on a traffic study, are under review by the township as well, and include adding a traffic signal and turning lanes at the intersection.
During the August meeting, supervisor David Collingwood brought up concerns about tractor trailers.
Although plans for the Wawa would not accommodate tractor trailer parking on site, Collingwood said he was worried nearby warehouses would attract tractor trailers to the store and suggested no parking signs should be posted along State Road.
“Somehow, we have to stop the tractor trailers from, not only possibly trying to get into the Wawa property, but parking along State Road,” he said.
Collingswood also expressed concern over stormwater runoff potentially adding to an existing issue of water pooling at the bottom of the exit ramp off Route 309, which is a quarter mile downhill from the proposed Wawa site.