Wawa to Host Groundbreaking Event for State College Area Store

Wawa is ready to begin construction on another Centre County store and its first in the State College area.

The convenience store and gas station chain will host a groundbreaking event on Oct. 20 for its planned 169 W. Aaron Dr. location, at the corner of Aaron Drive and North Atherton Street, the Delaware County-based company said in a news release on Friday.

The event from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. will include a groundbreaking ceremony and “coming soon” sign unveiling, and a Taste of Wawa food and beverage samples. Wawa officials will offer remarks with details on the company’s expansion to State College, an update on locations, local community investments and job opportunities, according to the release.

Community members can share their favorite Wawa memories for a chance to attend the event as a “VIP Customer” at wawa.com/iframe/form/statecollege-pa-groundbreaking-event.

“We are thrilled to break ground in State College and get closer to closer opening our doors and serving our new  friends and neighbors!” said Chris Edwards, Director of Store Operations for Wawa. “We are excited to share the  Wawa story, plans for growth in State College, and our commitment to partnering with local nonprofit organizations  that make a difference in the local communities.” 

Plans for the Aaron Drive location approved by the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors in December 2025 include a 5,330-square-foot convenience store and six fueling islands on the former auto dealership property. The property will have access points from Aaron Drive, Bergman Boulevard and a right-in/right-out on Atherton.

Residents of the nearby Overlook Heights neighborhood have raised concerns that the addition will result the typically quiet residential streets becoming a corridor for cut-through traffic seeking to avoid the busy North Atherton Street. One resident called it “a recipe for, not possible, but inevitable disaster.”

Wawa’s plans, however, met the requirements of township ordinances and the Municipal Planning Code, administrators and supervisors said, and the company has offered several mitigating measures beyond what is mandated. The township also plans to review traffic conditions when the Wawa is completed and operations have normalized, and the company has agreed to contribute to the costs if a portion of Aaron Drive is converted to one way.

It will be the second Wawa under construction and one of four planned in Centre County.

The first, located at the intersection of Benner Pike and Eagle Point in Benner Township near Bellefonte, has made substantial progress, with the building structure and fuel canopy in place. An opening date has not yet been announced for the location, which will be directly across the street from Pennsylvania convenience store rival Sheetz.

Wawa is also planning locations at the corner of East College Avenue and Squirrel Drive, just below the Aspen State College mixed-use student housing development, and at the intersection of Earlystown Road and Old Fort Road in Potter Township, on the former Snappy’s site and also directly across from Sheetz.

The locations are part of the company’s westward expansion in Pennsylvania, with a total of 10 planned in Centre County and surrounding areas by 2031, Wawa officials said at a community event last fall. Wawa recently opened a store in neighboring Mifflin County and has another under construction in Mill Hall in Clinton County.

Wawa currently has more than 1,200 convenience retail stores currently operating in fourteen states and Washington, D.C.,