U. Darby OKs plans for a new Super Wawa site
UPPER DARBY » The Super Wawa is a go at the corner of Baltimore Pike and Oak Avenue in Upper Darby after months of speculation that it may be located in neighboring Clifton Heights.
Zoners unanimously approved numerous variances for construction of a Wawa store and gas station with eight dispensers under a canopy at the corner of Oak and Baltimore avenues.
It is within shouting distance of a large Wawa at Bishop and Baltimore avenues and a smaller Wawa at Oak and Cottonwood avenues.
Development is on the site of the Pizza Hut and Burlington Coat Factory, the former Penn Fruit supermarket, which have been closed for months. They will be demolished.
The project also includes construction of an unnamed retail store, fronting on Baltimore Avenue, north of the new Wawa.
BT Baltimore Avenue Properties LLC applied for the 11 variances that primarily deal with landscaping, entrance driveways and parking spaces in the C-2 Commercial zoned district.
“The entire block will be redesigned from Oak Avenue to Planet Fitness and 5 Guys,” Mayor Thomas Micozzie said. “Right now it’s a hodge podge. This property was always an eyesore. The entrance driveway to Planet Fitness is redesigned and parking reconfigured. Wawa is a good company. This is huge for Upper Darby. Getting Wawa built here in Upper Darby is another step in the right direction for development.”
Earlier this year, neighboring Clifton Heights had brokered a contract with a developer to construct a Wawa store at Baltimore and Jackson avenues. That deal fell through after Micozzie was contacted by letter in April with plans to instead build at Baltimore and Oak Avenues.
Demolition permits were issued to the owner of the property in Clifton, who demolished old row homes and informed a tenant, the owner of Hillside Nursery, that he would have to move.
“Apparently Wawa believes this will be a better site location with better traffic patterns, demographics and visibility,” Micozzie said.
In all, 11 variances were approved by Upper Darby zoning hearing board on the two adjoining lots including 85 feet of landscaping on the corner, planting strips along the rear of the property, decorative pavements for pedestrian crosswalks, a reduction in parking spaces from 188 to 177 near the retail store and fitness center. Officials also specified service and loading areas not visible from the street.
Construction of the estimated 14 month-long project should begin in January or February.