Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Wawa's Proposal for Media Will Be Decided THIS Month

With October now here, there will be two very important borough meetings coming up that will decide the future of the proposed Wawa at Providence and Baltimore Ave.

Public comment and questions will be held Thursday, October 3rd at Borough Hall (6pm). This meeting will allow statements by the developers and comments for or against from the community.  On October 17th, during the regular council meeting, the vote will be cast by borough council, as to whether this project will proceed or not.


As it stands now, the developers and their partners have presented 13 times in 19 months to Media Borough.  Both the Media Business Authority and borough Planning Commission support this project which will be the anchor property to the gateway of Media.  Public opinion seems to strongly favor this development, as Wawa continues to work towards a unique experience for Media.  Back in March, they proposed a one of a kind store that was specifically designed for Media,Pa.  

Odds are this proposal will be denied by Media Borough Council, however, if you are for this project, it's imperative that you attend these two meetings to voice your opinion.  

Over the next few months people will come to this blog wondering what has happened to the proposed Media Wawa.  October will be your chance to no longer wonder, but allow for the community to take part in this very big project.  And it will come down to just that!

Tedman




21 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting and raising public awareness.

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  2. If the Wawa fails, then it is pretty clear that the gateway blocks into Media will be vacant for years if not decades. I hope people ar enot holding out for a "perfect" solution when a really good one is available.

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  3. Has the traffic issue been addressed and is there a remediation plan?

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    1. Yes, we have Bob Linn's assurances that no new traffic will be generated. Only people who are already driving by will be stopping at this Wawa.

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    2. The problem isn't whether there will be any _new_ traffic generated by the Wawa, the problem is whether the addition of the Wawa will cause the traffic currently flowing by (at a snail's pace as it is) to become further clogged by numerous people entering and leaving the business. If Wawa/Linn is only concerned about new traffic and not about ameliorating the congestion their business will cause at that complex intersection, then I do not have much confidence in their traffic plan.

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    3. I believe the traffic will still be bad at that intersection, but not as bad as it is now. I cannot recall where, but I read something to the effect of it would make the intersection have a "C minus" rating instead of a "D."

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  4. Providence Road is backed up now. Robert Linn is a nice guy, and an inventive architect but he is lying for Wawa.

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  5. This is going to be an interesting two weeks. We have several considerations.

    - How much better/worse will the traffic be as a result of the Wawa?

    - What Media residents will show up at the Oct 3rd meeting and what will they have to say

    - Does the tendency of Republican candidates to demagogue every issue with building in Media coupled with the impending borough races alter Council's mindset of approval vs. rejection.


    My own two cents on the issue is that I'd like to see the Wawa built for the access to potentially cheaper gas in town an the ability to buy it from a more reputable corporation that either BP (gulf killers) or Sunoco (layoff artists). I'm also happy that Wawa will not close the current Baltimore Pike store. If the aggregate opinion of Media residents is that they oppose the construction, I won't blow a gasket over it either.

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    1. MediaMike, you seem to know the price of everything, and the value of nothing.

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    2. Incredible substance, care to elaborate on the Wawa discussion?

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    3. Stop the insanity, MediaMike. Take a stand, say No to Wawa. Only then will we believe you are a man of substance.

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  6. Luring additional drivers to cheaper gas, lunch pick up mid-day and milk/cigarettes all day and night is way more traffic than the hypothetical alternative of an office building. Wawa's traffic expert should be asked to describe where traffic will go when back ups occur. I'm guessing to every numbered street in Media. By the way, can anyone find the Rose Tree Wawa on the PaDOT construction plan for 2013-2014? I see the Boat House, but not the Wawa.

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    1. The amount of trips generated per day is irrelevant, it's when they are generated. During the AM and PM rushes (when that intersection is at its worse) the Wawa isn't going to generate significantly more traffic than that which already travels through the intersection. People going through Media towards the Blue Route looking only for food/coffee/other will still stop at the one across from the Post Office. Same for the people travelling south on 252, they will continue to stop at Rose Tree. Putting an office building at that site would severely impact that intersection in a negative way. Now you have a new trip generator that is going to have the vast majority of those new trips occur at the AM and PM rushes.

      Ideally, a partnership should be made between MRE and whoever owns the Starbucks property to utilize a shared driveway with right in/out only off of Baltimore Ave and 252. Those who would need to make a left into or out of either property would access a driveway along the current Baker St. off of Manchester.

      The Rose Tree Wawa not being on those plans means nothing. The plans on the UPT website are pavement marking and signing plans. The official Right-of-Way plans that would have been submitted for approval to PennDOT would show Wawa as the owner of that property.

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    2. Wawa does not make (enough) money unless they bring large numbers of people in and out all day and night. That's their formula. Of course the amount of trips per day is relevant, as is the congestion which will be caused even by legal turns. People coming and going are going to be drawn to the Wawa with the gas pumps.

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  7. And the "that no left turn sign doesn't apply to me" idiots coming in and out of Starbucks won't go away either. I can hardly wait!

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    1. Agreed! Why isn't anyone saying that there was no traffic study performed when the Starbucks went in there which is a HUGE 'traffic joke' (as indicated above re: left turn) currently! With Wawa fixing the traffic it would be better not worse! I will never patronize that Starbucks only because of the stupidity in enter, exit, parking, etc.

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  8. Again - Wawa's traffic expert should be questioned about impact of drivers who don't want to wait at intersection. I'm guessing many will turn off Providence Road onto Boro's numbered street and wind their way over to Baltimore Pike. Ask the well paid Wawa consultant now - don't wait to attack elected officials in 2014.

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  9. All this bickering and whining over a little traffic is a joke. For crying out loud, deal with it. What is the big deal. Get your Wawa coffee, gas up, get in your Honda or Toyota and roll on. All this angst over a tiny bit of congestion is pathetic. If it's that much of a concern, dude, you might want to move out into the country. Seriously.

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  10. A little traffic? No one prefers to drive to Springfield, Brinton Lake or King of Prussia - ever. This is where corporate Wawa has to defend interrupting our quality of life. I can find gas and bread near by and shop on-line or State Street rather than sit in traffic every time I leave my home.

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  11. quality of life in Media is great but interrupting? please. ever sit on providence rd, Baltimore pike during rush hrs. you really think the new wawa is gonna make you wait, what another minute. doesn't matter, this board will reject it and we'll have another empty lot or a proposed office complex. they can't figure out how to right a small bridge, you think they can decide on a wawa !!!

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  12. Liar, liar pants on fire Bob Linn. Lying for Media Real Estate and lying for Wawa.

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