Cheltenham grants zoning approval for Wawa in Wyncote
After nearly a year of intense debate, Cheltenham has granted zoning approval for a Wawa store and 16-pump gas station on Route 309 in Wyncote.
After nearly a year of intense debate, Cheltenham has granted zoning approval for a Wawa store and 16-pump gas station on Route 309 in Wyncote.
The proposal drew fierce opposition from residents of the adjacent townhouses who feared Wawa would bring excessive noise, traffic, and environmental risk - and might reduce property values.
The proposal spurred 11 Zoning Hearing Board meetings, many of which ran more than three hours. An attorney for the residents called witnesses to testify that the 3.7-acre plot would be better suited for a hotel or offices, as it was originally zoned.
In May, the board sided with the developer, Goodman Properties. The board agreed to the zoning change and variances for signs, parking, and buffers.
The triangular plot abuts Route 309 and Limekiln Pike, a busy corridor where the developer expects most customers will already be passing through.
The zoning board imposed several conditions, including that the developer leave an adjacent three-acre parcel as undeveloped open space and plant a line of trees to separate the store from the townhouses.
On Wednesday, the Building and Zoning Committee let the zoning board decision stand.
Bruce Goodman, owner of Goodman Properties, said the zoning change, the first step in the development process, took longer than he expected.
"The neighbors had a lot of concerns. It took them many, many meetings to voice their concerns," he said.
His firm is preparing designs and engineering studies, which must again be submitted for township approval - and for approval by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation because the site is on a highway.
That process, Township Manager Bryan T. Havir said, "is going to be just as eventful," and could take six to eight more months of public meetings.
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