Proposed Newtown Wawa Requires Zoning Change

There are plans for a Wawa in Newtown Township but before you get excited for your cheap coffee and shorti hoagie, brace yourself. You'll likely be waiting a while.

The proposal for a Wawa with fuel pumps and a 5,585 square-foot convenience store off the Newtown Bypass at Lower Silver Lake Road was revealed earlier this month. It requires a zoning change, as the site is within the office research zoning district. The proposed use would be retail store with service station, which is not allowed in that zone.

In order for the project to move forward, a zoning amendment would have to be considered by the Jointure.

According to Newtown Township Supervisor John Mack, as of May 23, the township has not yet received a draft of such amendment.

"That would be the first step in the process before anything goes to the Jointure. The Newtown Supervisors would review the draft and it would come up for discussion at a public meeting of the Board of Supervisors BEFORE going to the Jointure, if at all. People should keep an eye on the agendas of upcoming meetings of the Newtown Board of Supervisors before attending Jointure meetings," Mack said on his personal blog.

The process may take several months, he noted.

The applicant, developer Provco Pinegood Aquisitions, is seeking to put the Wawa on a privately owned parcel across the street from Crossing Community Church. The plan includes 58 parking spots with entry and exit off Lower Silver Lake Road.

Some community members have questioned the proposal, saying it would burden traffic patterns in the area and have a negative economic impact on existing local businesses.

Many others in town have expressed support for the proposal, saying Wawa's cheap gas and convenient food options are attractive for the community.

Image of the site off the Bypass where the Wawa is proposed. (By Kara Seymour)