Is Wawa Still Coming to MoCo?
We have received this question more than any other in the last few months.
Back in May of 2019, we broke the news that Wawa’s first MoCo location would be opened in Gaithersburg at the old Becraft Antiques location on 355 across from Gaithersburg High School (405 S Frederick Ave).
You may be wondering: why hasn’t construction begun on the site?
In October of 2019, the Gaithersburg City Council approved the schematic development plan (SDP) for Wawa’s 5,000+ square foot site, which in theory would’ve paved the way for construction to begin. However, per Dan Schere of Bethesda Beat, the project soon hit a roadblock.
Public opposition to the proposed site led to a group of 14 community members filing an administrative appeal in the Montgomery County Circuit Court. This stalled the development of the site indefinitely.
The opponents of the Wawa site have stated that the Wawa site does not align with MoCo’s master plan and would generate traffic and noise annoyances for residents in the surrounding areas.
Their initial appeal kicked off a lengthy period of litigation and appeals processes. The Montgomery Circuit Court denied the initial appeal, but as of this September, the opponents’ appeal has made it to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. No hearing date had been set as of last month.
The ongoing litigation has found us in November of 2020 with no advancement on the construction of the site.
Wawa had initially planned on opening the location by the end of 2020, but that timeline is clearly no longer plausible. Supporters of the site will need to wait out the litigation to see if the site’s construction will be greenlit.
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5 comments
Wawa would be an asset to MoCo. As for Sheetz and Royal Farms.
Wawa would be great to have nearby. Far superior to any other chain convenience store, I’m not alone in this opinion. Noise? I have never considered a Wawa to be “noisy” and I’ve visited them hundreds of times. Sad that these residents seem to be resistant for the sake of being resistant.
The Wawa site list of planned stores shows none at all in Maryland so perhaps Wawa has changed its mind after all this static.
For some of us who are opposed it’s mainly a environmental issue. Soo much so that in Montgomery county the Wawa would not be allowed within 300 feet of residential if the size exceeds a certain amount which this Wawa falls under. Also per HUD guidelines a HUD loan would not be approved for homes within a certain distance from the Wawa because of the environmental risk involved. I am not against a Wawa just against it being right next to less than 200 feet from a residential neighborhood. Also keep in mind how many gas stations are within the new site proposal. I can’t imagine what will happen to one or several if Wawa opens in the proposed location. I can only imagine that perhaps one will close. If they close, that lot probably will be vacant for a while since repurposing a old station is expensive due to underground tanks etc.
It is time for a WAWA. They have quality food. All the staff there are actually happy as our the customers. Please Montgomery county this is an asset. Let’s get it started
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