Greenwood board approves special exception for Wawa-style convenience store with gas pumps at Emerson and Wilson

The Greenwood Board of Zoning Appeals on Sept. 22 approved a special exception for vehicular gasoline sales tied to a 24-hour, full-service convenience store proposed for 795 North Emerson Avenue, voting to approve the request with conditions 2–12 from the staff report (condition 1 was excluded).

The petitioner, Eric Prime, spoke for Emerson Wilson Investors LLC and told the board the proposed development would include a 6,300-square-foot Wawa-format store at the corner of Wilson Drive and Emerson Avenue, with gas pumps placed at the rear of the site and a hotel and financial-institution pad sites planned behind and to the south of the store. “For them, the gas sales is almost an afterthought,” Prime said, adding the store’s primary function would be food and beverage service available round-the-clock.

The staff report recommended denial, citing Greenwood’s comprehensive plan and its focus on transit-oriented development near limited bus service. City planning staff said a primary concern was compatibility with a bus stop adjacent to the site and on-site circulation, noting that “a vehicular gas station is not really compatible with transit” and raising safety and stacking concerns related to the petitioner’s drive/pickup lane arrangement.

Prime said the design changes — including flipping the fueling canopy to the rear, locating EV chargers away from the front yard, committing to no semi trucks except for deliveries, and working with the local transit agency (Indigo) on relocating a bus stop — were made specifically to address staff concerns. He also noted two support letters from large local property owners, including Sprague Hotels and Allen Commercial Group, were provided to the board.

Board member King moved to approve the special exception with conditions 2 through 12 from the staff report (excluding condition 1, which would have required the building face Emerson Avenue), and the motion carried on a recorded vote of 5–0. The board also voted to direct the corporation counsel to draft written findings of fact to formalize the decision; the board said it will take final action when those findings are adopted at the next meeting.

The board admitted the full evidentiary record — petitions, staff reports, maps, photographs and oral testimony — into the record before voting. The approval conditions captured in the staff report include site-orientation items (pumps at rear), limitations on truck access, signage restrictions, drive-through/stacking minimums and commitments to collaborate with Indigo on the nearby bus stop. The staff report listed 12 recommended conditions; the board’s approval left the majority of those intact while declining the condition requiring the building to reinforce Emerson Avenue.

What’s next: the board directed the corporation counsel’s office to prepare written findings of fact to be brought back at the board’s next meeting, at which the decision will be finalized. The petitioner was told it may continue coordination with city staff on engineering and site-plan details prior to the final action.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article are drawn from the public record of the hearing and include the petitioner and city planning staff; board members asked questions during the presentation and voted on the matter.