Proposed plan shows Wawa is coming to State College area, a first for Happy Valley
Wawa has plans for its first location in Happy Valley.
Early plans show Wawa is proposing a location in Benner Township, Sharon Royer, the township secretary and treasurer, said in an email Monday. This would be Wawa’s first location in the area and would be the farthest west they’ve gone in the state.
“It is planned to be constructed right across from Sheetz on the Benner Pike,” Royer said in an email. It is planned for between Dunkin’ and Fulton Bank in Benner Township, according to a map provided by the township.
During Benner Township’s board of supervisors meeting Monday night, Tony Fruchtl, project manager for PennTerra Engineering, gave the board a brief overview of the project.
“That ... full strip along there has always been designated for commercial development,” he said.
That area has seen more development recently, including a new Giant, with plans throughout the township for more development, including a large residential development at the end of High Tech Road, a massive fulfillment center warehouse at the end of Penntech Drive and a four-story hotel at the corner of Benner Pike and Amberleigh Lane.
A McDonald’s is also in the works for the Paradise Shopping Center; the township supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding for that development during Monday’s meeting.
As far as the plans for the Wawa, everything is still in the conceptual stage, Fruchtl said. There is still work to do with the county, the state Department of Transportation and the township engineer. More information will be in front of the board in a couple of months, he said.
Wawa in the area is “generating a lot of excitement,” township Supervisor Larry Lingle said.
“It was announced a couple of weeks ago that (Wawa is) coming. I think everybody wanted to know where. Well, we’ve got at least one of them right here,” Fruchtl said.
Lori Bruce, public relations manager for Wawa, confirmed Wawa is expanding to central Pennsylvania and State College in an email Monday afternoon. The company is actively looking for sites that would potentially open in 2025, she said.
“While we may have locations under contract in this area, we are still working through the land development process, and we do not have any timeline available for construction,” Bruce said.
The board approved and signed the memorandum of understanding in regard to the proposed Wawa. Royer said the MOU is a standard agreement that the developer, county and township sign so the developer agrees to reimburse the township for any costs related to reviewing their proposal.
“Most of this is engineering for stormwater and traffic,” she said in an email.
Wawa, founded in 1964, is a convenience store and gas station chain with locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Florida, according to its website. It is known for its made-to-order hoagies and lineup of freshly brewed coffee.
This story was originally published March 6, 2023 at 12:43 PM.
