Residents Raise Objections to Wawa Plans in Gaithersburg
Several Gaithersburg residents largely opposed the construction of a Wawa in the city at a public hearing Monday night.
The company, with about 850 stores across the country and 52 in Maryland, would build Montgomery County’s first Wawa at 405 S. Frederick Ave. The site is across the intersection with Education Avenue, where Gaithersburg High School is located.
Speakers at the hearing worried about students getting hurt crossing seven lanes of traffic to get to the Wawa.
They also raised environmental concerns citing the effect of the emissions from the Wawa’s 12 gas pumps.
Gas station owners who testified called Wawa a “hypermarketer” that would drive nearby gas stations out of business.
Wawa plans a 5,000 square foot store on a 1.83-acre site at 405 S. Frederick Ave. The Wawa would be near the intersection with Education Avenue, where Gaithersburg High School is located.
there’s already a traffic light there. If fences are installed to keep the kids from only crossing at the light then they’re more safe Wawa is great !!!
Wawa is a great chain. I’ve always wondered why Montgomery County didn’t have any. 711 is the only game in the county and they are pretty awful. I say, welcome!
*Competition is great for consumers, (you and me), because it generally Lowers prices.
*Gas station owners, who are afraid they might go out of business…..are not good businessmen/women.
I suggest that they take some classes at Montgomery College.
WAWA is awesome. Wish they’d build one in Takoma Park
That’s a nice site. I would think the developers could do better than wawa
A Wawa across from a high school; foolish location choice; students will find a way to support that business during school hours. Walking across the street with a traffic light or not will bring a risk. The location is not suited for a high traffic business, I see it as not compatible with the neighboring land uses.
I think having a Wawas in Gaithersburg would be great. The gas station near my home is the only station near my home which causes the prices to be extremely high. Unfortunately it’s the only gas station in the area so I have no choices. Moreover, the smaller gas stations offer nothing more than small items compared to Wawas. People need to stop and realize that this station will bring not only jobs, but competition to the area.
When I think of Wawa, it’s usually in the rest area and big highway. I can never imagine them being in the high traffic city. I love to have 10 small businesses like 7-11 and small convenient stores than 1 big WAWA. It’s not only about killing local business but also it’s adaptability. I don’t think we have huge space in our city, it’s already densely populated and congested.
I DON’T SUPPORT WAWA IN GAITHERSBURG.
Wawa’s are very nice, very clean, plenty of room at all the gas pumps, great selection of items in the store…..basically an upscale gas station. It might be a start to cleaning up that not so nice area. I wish you could b6 stock in that company!
Disappointing to hear kickback on WaWa. Gaithersburg continues to crumble, but a new WaWa is a clear sign there is a glimmer of hope. Increased pedestrian traffic is a sign of deterioration in any city, and it shouldn’t be welcomed or accommodated. GHS should have a closed lunch where kids don’t leave campus: it is telling that they might be too stupid to read signs or manage traffic to deal with WaWa, so they need to stay on campus and learn something. If they can’t afford a school lunch they won’t be able to buy anything at WaWa any way. The rest of us will benefit from a WaWa there, and I hope the lesser hordes won’t screw it up by voicing emotional objections farther than objective, science-based concerns that might warrant attention.