Plans Show Proposed Wawa Location in Ferguson Township

With plans for a Benner Township location still working through the approval process, a southeast Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain already appears to be eyeing the State College area for a second Centre County location.

Ferguson Township’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider a variance request for a Wawa at 169 W. Aaron Dr., near the intersection with North Atherton Street, according to the meeting agenda.

While the applicant for the variance is listed as Atherton Goose LLC (the convenience store chain’s logo features a goose), a land development plan attached to the agenda is labeled “Wawa at Aaron Drive,” and the proposed new building on the site bears the Wawa logo.

The plan drafted by PennTerra Engineering, which is not as of yet listed on the township’s website as an active land development plan, shows a 5,330-square-foot Wawa store, 60 parking spaces and a fueling island.

Tuesday’s supervisors meeting will only address the variance request and will not involve approval of development plans. Wawa is seeking a variance of 110 square feet for a gasoline island canopy to encroach into the side yard setback. Zoning requirements prohibit all structures from being located in the setback.

The existing building on the site — which is currently occupied by Delaney Collision Center and was previously an auto dealership — encroaches in the setback by 1,625 square feet and removal of the building will reduce the encroachment to 110 square feet, according to the variance application.

Township staff recommended the board of supervisors remain neutral on the variance request, which will be reviewed by the Zoning Hearing Board at a later date.

Wawa submitted a land development plan in July for its first Centre County location near the intersection of Benner Pike and Eagle Point in Benner Township, directly across from convenience store rival Sheetz. Those plans, also drafted by PennTerra Engineering, show a 6,600 square foot store with eight fuel stations.

Centre County marks the westernmost expansion in Pennsylvania to date for Wawa, which was founded in 1964 and now operates nearly 1,000 stores in six states.

Wawa spokesperson Lori Bruce told StateCollege.com in December that the company is looking to open multiple stores in the State College area and that it was working on site selections and land development processes.

“Over the years, we have received thousands of requests to expand into this market, and with so many Penn State students and community members coming from existing ‘Wawalands,’ we knew this was the perfect place to spread our wings,” Bruce wrote in an email. “…We couldn’t be more excited to bring Wawa’s unique brand of convenience to Happy Valley.”