Not another Wawa

Asbury Park Press – It will be the 11th hearing on a Wawa store proposal, where residents have railed against the plan that they say does not conform to local law, would lower their property values and create unnecessary chaos in their neighborhood. Residents of Clinton Avenue and streets nearby the proposed site have hired an attorney to represent them in their effort to kill the plan. James Gibbons of the Pompton Plains-based firm Azrak and Associates, has come out slugging at the last two hearings, lambasting particulars in the Wawa plan and calling for board members to step down because of possible conflicts. In an effort to pay Gibbons’ fee, residents last weekend held a neighborhood-wide yard sale, the proceeds of which were pooled for the legal fund. “That goes to our war chest fund for the lawyer,” said Vince Marone, a Clinton Avenue resident. “It’s a shame we have to be put through this.” Residents of Clinton Avenue and Conifer Crest Way stuffed the garages and yards of five neighbors who agreed to host the sale, which raised about $1,200 for the legal fund, according to Marone. Wawa wants to build its unit on the site of a former roller-skating rink, roughly across Route 35 from the Lowe’s hardware store. The proposed store would cover 5,773 square feet with a 12-pump gasoline station and 82 parking spaces. It would be slightly more than 50 feet from residential property — too close for the comfort of area homeowners. But in order to build the store, Wawa is asking for an important waiver from an ordinance that bans the construction of gasoline stations less than 2,000 feet from another service station or closer than 200 feet from a residential area. Wawa has finished its presentation, and for the last two meetings, the residents have called their expert witnesses. That testimony is expected to continue Monday. The townships of Brick and Middletown recently heard similar applications to build Wawa stores there. Both also were bitterly opposed by neighbors and have been withdrawn by Wawa.