Newtown Wawa Developers Make Case For Zoning Relief

NEWTOWN, PA — The Newtown Township Zoning Hearing Board heard nearly three hours of testimony from civil engineers during a hearing Thursday night.

Provco Pineville Acquisitions, LLC, is looking to build a Wawa gas station and convenience store on 4.95 acres of land at the southwest corner of the Newtown Bypass and Silver Lake Road.

John VanLuVanee, attorney for the developer, called several witnesses to testify Thursday night, including traffic and signage experts. The special meeting was a continuation of a hearing that took place in June.

The developer is seeking zoning relief related to signage and the number of gas pumps on the property. Provco is looking to build eight fueling stations, more than the allowable six under current zoning laws.

The board heard testimony from Michael Hammond, a licensed civil engineer in traffic and transportation based in Westchester, who argued that signage for the business would need to be placed closer to the roadway than allowed under zoning law in order to provide a safe flow of vehicular traffic.

"I'd prefer to have larger signs that are higher and closer to the roadway," Hammond said.

Hammond said having additional fueling stations would allow the gas station to accommodate more customers during peak hours, thereby improving traffic flow.

The board also heard from Michael Tantala, a Philadelphia based professional engineer who has published work on signage safety and traffic. Tantala sought to argue that Wawa's proposed signage does not meet the definition of an Electronic Message Center (EMC), a point that township solicitor Dave Sander pushed back on.

The hearing will be continued on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Newtown Township Meeting Room, located at 100 Municipal Drive in Newtown.

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