A “Super Wawa” that would feature gas pumps and an adjacent fast-food restaurant appears to be on its way to Hilltown.
On Monday, the township’s board of supervisors granted preliminary and final approval on a plan that calls for demolishing the existing Wawa at the intersection of Route 313 and Route 113 and replacing it with a larger “Super Wawa” of more than 5,800 square feet.
The plan also calls for installing eight gas pumps – a total of 16 fueling stations.
Relatedly, supervisors green-lighted the subdividing of the approximately 4-acre property so that a fast-food restaurant could be established on what’s now a second lot.
Representatives for developer Hunt Real Estate Services Inc. said it’s not yet known what fast-food chain will set Conup shop.
As such, supervisors granted only preliminary approval to the fast-food portion of the project – what would be“phase two.” Hilltown officials plan to consider final land development on the fast-food phase only after a vendor is identified.
With its fueling stations, larger store and fast-food restaurant, the redeveloped site is expected to generate 15 percent to 20 percent more traffic than what it does currently.
However, an engineer on the project said that traffic improvements that will be made to roadways will facilitate a more orderly flow through the already-bustling intersection.
Hilltown Supervisor Ken Bennington expressed concern over traffic flow within the site itself. He worried that there could be “mass confusion” on what will be an “awful busy lot.”
Still, the planned traffic flow within the site received the thumbs-up from township engineering professionals and other agencies reviewing the project.
Supervisor Jack McIlhinney was fine with the site’s planned internal traffic pattern. “I have no problem with it,” said McIlhinney. “This is how it happens everywhere.”
In addressing concerns raised by Bennington, professionals for the developer said that tanks that store gas are “state-of-the-art,” meeting the most-advanced standards to prevent leakage. Leaking tanks can cause ground pollution and potentially infiltrate well water.
Demolition work on the existing Wawa could begin in late spring.
