BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – The potential for a Wawa convenience store to be built in the Daleville Town Center is beginning to seem unlikely after the planning commission voted in opposition to the proposal.
Word began to get around of Wawa potentially expanding to the Roanoke Valley back in December.
The popular convenience chain offers fresh foods, coffee, and fuel. However, residents at Monday’s planning commission meeting say there are already plenty of these types of businesses in the area.
“We already have nine places you can fuel your vehicle from 81 to right there. Why do we need more,” one resident said.
The proposed site is also less than a mile away from Sheetz, Wawa’s rival in the convenience store world. With two popular chains within a close distance, some people are worried about the traffic.
“Some of those people, some of those trucks are going to crawl over into the WAWA area,” a resident said at the meeting.
Several people who spoke at Monday’s meeting wanted something different to go at the site. Two ideas repeated throughout public comment, either a Fire and EMS station or a new restaurant.
A fast-food restaurant would have more of an impact on traffic in the area than a convenience store, according to a traffic study done on the project. The intention of the Wawa was for it to be a stop-and-go place.
The planning commission still ended up voting against the recommendation.
“The convenience store in that location in my opinion begins to remove what Botetourt County is in the 220 corridor,” Chairman Tim Snyder said.
The Board of Supervisors will have the ultimate decision on whether the chain expands to Daleville.