A 8,397 square foot “travel center” would be open 24 hours a day, and plans call for eight double sided auto fuel dispensers, and seven diesel fuel dispensers.
Large trucks would have a separate access point from regular cars, and there are parking spaces for 83 cars, three RVs and ten trucks. The plan would also extend the bike path across Broad Street.
Fairborn City Council approved a rezoning and site plan, with a vote of six to one, with Mayor Dan Kirkpatrick dissenting.
Residents who spoke at the city council meeting voiced opposition to the project for several reasons, including concerns over crime and traffic, with one resident saying an increase in cars coupled with the speeds people drive making a recipe for disaster.
“That stretch of road between Sandhill road and the red light at 675, people absolutely fly,” said Charlie Deer, who lives near the proposed station. “It’s like Kil-Kare Speedway…just a straight drag strip going through there.”
Wawa has done a thorough traffic study of the area, representatives of the company said, as well as gotten approval from the Ohio Department of Transportation on the site.
Wawa made a previous attempt to open a store in Fairborn in 2023, proposing a 5,919-square-foot site on 2.2 acres at 600 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road. Fairborn City Council voted 5-2 to strike down the measure that December.
Among the changes that Wawa made to their current application included resolving conflicts between truck and auto traffic in their design, said city planner Kathleen Riggs.
Additionally, Wawa has gone “above and beyond with softening the site,” said David Montgomery, attorney at Pickerel, Schaeffer and Ebeling, representing the company to city council referring to the amount of landscaping around the site to differentiate it from surrounding properties.
Several residents who commented on the project during a planning board hearing last month criticized the development, saying the gas station would bring additional traffic and crime to the area, as well as deteriorate the roads. However, other feedback the city received were supportive of the project, and Wawa as an organization.
Wawa opened its first Ohio store on April 15 of this year. The Pennsylvania-based chain has stores in Fairfield, Colerain Twp., Deerfield Twp., Huber Heights, Lebanon, Mason, Springdale, and Union Twp., all slated to open before the end of the year as part of the company’s expansion into Ohio.
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