Wawa has been wrangling with Newtown Township to build a superstore (combination gas station and convenience store) on the Newtown Bypass for over 5 years (see the time line). Just when it seemed that the finish line was in sight, Provco Pinegood Newtown, LLC (representing Wawa), bowed out of the race – for now.

 

To better understand how we got to this point and what may be the next step in this drawn out process, I created my "Wawa Versus Newtown Township Timeline": https://bit.ly/Wawa-vs-NT-Timeline 

 

Some notable highlights:

 

• May 10, 2017: Two supervisors propose to lease land in Silver Lake Park on Newtown Bypass to Wawa believing that the property can be used "without setting zoning precedents." Not only is that not true, but the land was sold to Newtown by Bucks County with the restriction that it can never be developed.
• May 14, 2018: Wawa presents a "sketch plan" for a combination gas station/convenience store on Newtown Bypass and Lower Silverlake Road.
• October 16, 2018: First mention of a text amendment to the zoning ordinance to permit this use at the intersection of two public streets, specifying that one street must be Newtown Bypass.
• October 16, 2019: Provco Pineville Acquisitions, LLC (owner of property where Wawa want to build) filed with the Court of Common Pleas a challenge to Validity of the JMZO because the township did not have a permitted use for a combination gas station and convenience store. 
• December 2019: Newtown Declaration Invoking Procedure for Municipal Curative Amendment: http://sco.lt/72cpBQ
• September 23, 2020: The Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved by a 3-2 vote (Davis and Mack voted “No”) the E-30 so-called “curative amendment”
• March 17, 2021: Provco filed an application with the ZHB requesting a special exception pursuant to Section 50 1.A. 3. g of the JMZO to permit a Use E-30 Motor Vehicle Fueling and Convenience Store at the Property ("Special Exception Application"). Provco's Special Exception Application also sought several variances related to the number of fueling stations and signs.
• September 20, 2021: Wawa's Request for Zoning Variances Denied [https://sco.lt/6Eh7rM]
• circa December 8, 2021: Wawa submits preliminary Land Development Plan.
•  April 13, 2022: Planning Commission recommends that the BOS NOT approved Wawa's latest Land Development Plan 
• April 29, 2022: Provco Pineville Acquisitions, LLC, files with the Court of Common Pleas an appeal from the Decision of the Newtown Township Zoning Hearing Board.
• May 11, 2022: Wawa decides at last minute not to present its plan to the BOS.

 

Access the complete up-to-date timeline with more details.