Wawa Adamant About Keeping Orientation of Site Plan Layout

In its review of the Preliminary Plan of Land Development for a Super Wawa combination gas station & convenient store on Newtown Bypass, the Bucks County Planning Commission (BCPC) made several recommendations for modifying the plan [LINK: https://bit.ly/BCPC-Wawa-Comments]. One of these involved the location and orientation of structures. BCPC said: “We recommend that the location of the store and fuel pumps/canopy be flipped so that the store is situated closer to the Bypass. The grade of the site is approximately eight feet higher than the Bypass so, as proposed, the canopy will loom high above the roadway. Further, we note that the canopy could be positioned with the shorter end toward the Bypass to minimize the visual impact of its mass.” But at the April 5, 2022, Newtown Township Planning Commission (NTPC) meeting, the Provco/Wawa representatives pointed out that the BCPC was merely a “recommending body” and this issue was not mentioned in any township staff or consultant review letter. The Provco executive went on to note that Wawa was “adamant on staying with this orientation” and claimed that “from an operational, safety, and traffic circulation perspective that this is the safer and move efficient plan.” In the end, the NTPC failed to achieve a consensus to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve Wawa’s Land Development Plan [LINK: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/yxSiL9CF5V9hHrTD9].