Curative Amendment Hearings Conclude

Last Thursday (3/20/07), the Warminster Township Board of Supervisors held Part 2 of a two-part Curative Amendment Hearing. The public hearings were held to hear testimony from both Wawa, and from the township, on whether to overturn (or "cure") zoning ordinances that have prevented the development of a Super Wawa at the corner of Street & Newtown Roads in Warminster.

Wawa, Inc. has proposed to develop a vacant lot at the barren intersection -- and many township residents favor the Wawa as a good business. "We like their hoagies and coffee," one told me. However, Wawa will not be simply constructing a standard Wawa convenience store (it's outdated model); they also want the site to include 8 underground storage tanks for gasoline, with 16 pump sites on the corner. A similar nearby model is on Rte 611 in Horsham, across from the Air Base, adjacent to the Red Lion Diner. No doubt, that's a busy business.

Two ordinances prevent the Super Wawa from the proposed intersection: first, there is a rule that states that this proposed use cannot be within 1500 feet of a restaurant or gas station etc. More importantly, a gasoline station can only be built on a site that is zoned as "HC" or Highway Commercial; the site is currently designated "C2" Commercial. Wawa argues there is essentially no difference between Warminster's "antiquated" distinctions between HC and C zoning.

Neighbors residing on nearby Newtown and Hardman Roads and Lea Lane are understandably concerned about the loitering, noise and environment impacts that a 24-hour-a-day business will cause. Nearby residents are also very worried about the impact of added traffic to an already busy intersection.

Lawyers (Tom Hecker for Wawa, Mike Savona for the Township) have 30 days to submit briefs and conclusions of law after the availability, within 20 days, of the hearing transcripts. Then the township supervisors have 30 days to make a decision based on the hearings and the briefs.

A concern of mine that has not been addressed by either side in the curative amendment earings is the impact of additional traffic imposed when Warminster Hospital changed to an outpatient facility for Abington Hospital. While ambulance traffic is no longer an issue, there are and will be significantly more cars on Newtown Road as a result of a fully-occupied, well-used outpatient facility (doctors' offices, day surgery, laboratory, etc.) Can our infrastructure at that intersection handle existing traffic itself, even before the added traffic that a Wawa would bring?