Construction On Latest Wawa With Gas Station Underway

Work to build the area’s newest Wawa with a gas station is well underway.

Crews began construction on the new Wawa at West Trenton Avenue and Pine Grove Road in November and, as of this week, had the convenience store framed.

The construction came after a long battle to begin work on the Wawa at the Morrisville Commons shopping center, which houses a 14,578-square-foot Rite Aid and eventually a proposed McDonalds. The site formerly was home to an Acme that closed several years ago.

In summer, the owners of the Plaza Shell gas and service station, which sits about 850 feet from the new Wawa, withdrew their state court appeal to Bucks County Gary Gilman decision that dealt with whether a Wawa with gas pumps was classified as a service station.

The township has an ordinance on the books that states service stations must be separated by a minimum distance of 1,500 feet. It notes that service stations offer “fuel, lubricants, automotive accessories, maintenance and minor repairs for motor vehicles.”

The Shell station owners felt the Falls Township Board of Supervisors’ approval of the project in spring 2017 violated the ordinance.

Once appealed, according to court records at the Justice Center, Gilman sided with the Supervisors.

The battle over the Wawa led to packed Supervisors’ meetings, drawing supporters and opponents to voice their opinions.

The Wawa sits at an important intersection for commuters heading in and out of Morrisville Borough, toward Trenton and Yardley, and those using Route 13. It also sits about 3 miles from the Yardley Borough Wawa and 2.5 miles from the Wawa on Old Bristol Pike in Falls Township, both of which do not have gas pumps.

The new 5,586-square-foot convenience store will feature six gas pumps and 12 gasoline and diesel pumping stations, according to the plans.

The fight over the development has led to an ongoing $11 million lawsuit filed by developer Buckingham Retail Properties and Zimmer Development Company, both based at the same Doylestown Borough address. The two firms are suing nine businesses and residents who have opposed plans for the site. The case was initially filed in 2015 and is expected to continue into 2019.