Newtown Township planners to consider Wawa on Newtown Bypass
A proposed Wawa convenience store with fueling stations on the Newtown Bypass at Lower Silver Lake Road is expected to go before the township Planning Commission on March 1.
The township zoners granted its developer, Provco Pinegood Newtown LLC, a special exception from the site's office/research zoning last fall to allow for a gas station and convenience store to be built but denied variances for the number of fueling stations and signage requested.
The project is planned for the southwest corner of the intersection, and calls for a 5,585- square-foot store with an additional canopied area having six fueling stations with a total of 12 pumps, according to information on the project provided by township Supervisor John Mack. The 4.9 acre site is not big enough to offer more fuel stations, as stipulated by the township code.
"We're thrilled to have this project moving forward," said Michael Cooley, Provco vice president. "This project has been very well received."
He said a "prototypical" Wawa with fueling stations for gasoline, diesel for passenger vehicles but not large trucks, and electric vehicles would be located on the site. The property was recently purchased from IHM Newtown LLC by a partnership of Provco, Goodman Properties and Pineville Properties, Cooley said, so the firms in the development partnership will also be the landlords.
He hopes construction will start in late summer. When it opens, the store and fueling station will have about 50 full and part-time employees.
The Bucks County Planning Commission reviewed the proposal and sent a letter of recommendations in January to the Newtown supervisors who will ultimately decide on the project. Chief among their consideration is pedestrian safety for those walking to the convenience store along or across the busy, high-speed Newtown Bypass.
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"Facilities meant to provide safer pedestrian connections, such as pedestrian refuge islands, timed traffic signals for pedestrians, and crosswalks with flashing beacons, should all be considered. Additionally, a complete sidewalk network along Newtown Yardley Road, from Upper Silver Lake Road to the bypass, should be considered," the county planners wrote to the supervisors.
The sidewalks also would provide "a pedestrian connection between the proposed convenience store and the Newtown to Delaware and Lehigh Trail that is
currently under study."
More: Zoning Board to review Wawa planned for Newtown Bypass
The county planners noted that zoning ordinance includes "architectural design requirements for the convenience store and fuel pump canopy to ensure
consistency with the historical character of the community."
CKS Engineers, which is reviewing the proposal for the township, stated that no deliveries should be made to the store between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next day, but fuel could be delivered to the site during the overnight hours.
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The township fire department also reviewed the proposal and alerted the developer as to fire hydrant and water main needs to support suppression of a fire.
The planners' will review the land development application at their meeting, to be held at 7:30 p.m. March 1 in the public meeting room in the Newtown Township Municipal Building on Municipal Drive.
Cooley said the developers hope to have the project before the township supervisors for land development approval by late March.
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To contact Peg Quann, email mquann@couriertimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Proposed Wawa at Newtown Bypass and Silver Lake to go before planners
