It looks like the South Jersey Convenience Store Wars have found a main battlefield on Cross Keys Road in Winslow, as a new Super Wawa is proposed next to a Royal Farms (well across the side street, Johnson Road).
A currently operating “legacy” Wawa and its extended row of stores are planned to be demolished so that the larger extended lot could be redeveloped as a full Super Wawa with gas pumps.
The location is at the intersection of Cross Keys Rd. and Johnson Rd. On the other side of Johnson Rd (to the side) Is a somewhat relatively new Royal Farms which has a similar convenience store and gas station model as Wawa.
So while Johnson Road separates the two properties, effectively the conveniences stores with gas stations are next to each other.
A slightly similar “Convenience Store War” will soon be taking place on Blackwood-Clementon Rd in Gloucester Twp, where a new Wawa with gas is under construction less than a quarter mile up the road.
Across Cross Keys Rd from this proposed Wawa is a closed Rite-Aid that is expected to become a Grocery Outlet discount grocer, and the new Jersey GOAT restaurant is in that same shopping center (across from Wawa)
This Wawa Planning Board meeting was originally on the June Planning Board schedule, but was pushed back to July 20th at 7:00 PM.
In somewhat related news another proposed Winslow Wawa at the White Horse Pike and Waterford-Blue Anchor Roads is now listed as “Approved” in online Township documents (for that June 15th meeting.)
Proposed Super Wawa Berlin-Cross Keys Rd at Johnson Rd
The new Cross Keys Road Wawa proposal is for the development of today’s standard large Wawa (5,585 square feet) for the main convenience store building, and a gas pump section in front with overhead canopy.
Today the property is home to an operating legacy Wawa (without gas) which sits closer to the front of the corner of the property. There is an attached strip mall of similar exterior style off to the left which has space for several other businesses.
The existing buildings, parking lots and other aspects of the property will be 100% removed.
The full property is deceptively much larger than what you think because the current building sits much closer to the front, towards Cross Keys Rd. A large portion of the full property sits behind the building.
The reason for this forward placement decades ago is when it was initially developed, Winslow was not full connected to a sewer system which could support all of expected growth or locations of a then much more rural town.
So in the case of this Wawa, a significant portion of the property in the back is allocated to a sewage disposal field! Yes the Cross Keys Wawa today is operating with a septic system!
So with the new Wawa proposal, it will be developed to utilize the County’s public sewer system and will no longer need to allocate space on the property for the septic system and this waste field. That reclaimed space can be utilized as part of the design of a larger blow out development on the lot
The new project will also reconfigure the existing water basin in a manner that provides the new Super Wawa with a more traditional rectangular shape development lot.
So with all that being said the new Wawa store building will be positioned in the center of the larger lot, putting the front of the new building about 40 feet further back off Cross Keys Rd…. With the new gas station pumps and canopy in front of the building.
The site plan shows 4 rows of two pump units, which factoring in cars on each side of a pump… offers a 16 car capacity gas pump configuration.
Parking for the Wawa store is listed as 53 spaces and surround three sides of the building, as well as a strip of parking spots along the back of the property
The building will have a main front entrance of course, and then also a rear entrance for those parking behind the building.
The delivery and loading zone is actually on the side furthest from Johnson Rd. Which is actually a better configuration for customers who utilize the back entrance of the store… The deliveries will not be happening in that same space.
The driveway access on Cross Keys Rd. appears to be in the same position based on the site plans but the side entrance on Johnson Rd. seems to be pushed back further.
While the parking spaces needed for the air pump usage are clearly marked in the site plan, there are no mentions of electric car chargers so I can assume there will be no electric car chargers.
As mentioned they are presenting to the Planning Board on July 20th
From the public notice there are only calling out requested approvals related to signage… the number of signs and the size, which could be an indication that for the most part the core development of the project fits into the town’s zoning for the lot (or it meets any pre-approved existing nonconforming conditions)
Links and Locations
Proposed Super Wawa – Cross Keys at Johnson Rd
672 Berlin Cross Keys Road
Sicklerville NJ
856-875-8160
Planning Meeting
Planning Board on July 20, 2023, at 7:00 PM
Winslow Township Municipal Building
Dominic Maiese Municipal Courtroom
125 South Route 73, Braddock
New Jersey 0803
Any interested party may attend in person or by attorney and present any objections, or otherwise be heard, with reference to this application.