Pro-Wawa Group Says Upper Gwynedd, Merck Blocked Development

UPPER GWYNEDD, PA — A group lobbying to bring Wawa to Upper Gwynedd alleges that the township and Merck conspired to prevent the development, which was rejected on two separate occasions last year. The township, meanwhile, has adamantly rejected the claims and says that Wawa is ignoring the problems with their proposal.

The website "Bring Wawa To Upper Gwynedd Township" says that township commissioners worked in secret with Merck executives to try to buy the property on which Wawa wanted to develop at the corner of Sumneytown Pike and West Point Pike. They also allege that Merck was behind a traffic study which showed the new Wawa would be damaging to the area, contributing to the proposal's rejection.

"Merck has spent many tens of thousands of dollars to hire its long-time traffic consulting firm which presented a grossly exaggerated "doomsday" traffic report to the Commissioners," the website alleges. "The Township has spent thousands of dollars on special counsel, special land planners and special traffic engineers to create unsupportable opposition to the Wawa proposal."

The township rejected those claims, and said that they only met once with Merck, to discuss the company's concerns about traffic at that location.

"The Township’s goal was not to oppose the Super Wawa plan, only to ensure that it was designed in compliance with the Township and State laws in order to maximize the protections provided in those laws for the health, safety and general welfare of the community," the township said in a statement.

Critics said that the Wawa's location on the inside of a blind curve, shortly after a railroad pass, would have caused traffic and safety issue.

The township's statement goes on to refute many of the pro-Wawa group's other claims, such as the claim that the township had made a deal with Royal Farms. Details of their response can be seen here.

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