Planning board continues Wawa proposal and linked parking application for further traffic review

The Planning and Zoning Board continued a contested application from Wawa for a new convenience store and gas canopy at Winter Springs Marketplace (State Road 434 and Tuscawilla Road) to a date certain of Sept. 11 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Commission Chambers.

Staff had recommended denial in its report, citing inconsistency with Town Center goals and the comprehensive plan’s intent for building placement and pedestrian orientation. Senior planner Janelle Garnett told the board that the proposed convenience-store building would sit about 182 feet from SR 434 and 98 feet from Tuscawilla Road, which staff said exceeds intended setbacks and would break the continuous store frontage the Town Center aims to achieve. Staff also noted that the transportation review had been submitted but not yet approved as of the staff report.

Applicant representatives and the project team described site constraints and operational reasons for the proposed layout. Ryan Stahl of Equinox Development and Corey Saylor of Kenley Horn and Associates said the wedge‑shaped parcel and operational needs for fueling visibility, loading, and parking had driven their design decisions. The proposal calls for a 4,736‑square‑foot convenience store and a 5,903‑square‑foot fuel canopy with six pump islands (12 dispensers) on a 1.22‑acre parcel. The applicant said the canopy and fueling visibility are critical for customer safety and business operation; Wawa representatives said the design for this location was a unique prototype developed to fit the constrained site.

City engineering staff advised the board that the transportation report needed further revisions. Lee Shu, a professional engineer with the City, said the traffic review contained assumptions that required correction, noted potential intersections missing from the analysis per Seminole County review radius requirements, and said FDOT commentary about signal timing changes was significant. Shu said stormwater and utility comments were minor but remained pending and that the project’s stormwater review was also under review by the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Board members, several of whom raised pedestrian‑safety and school‑traffic concerns because the site sits near high‑school routes, said they were not comfortable making a decision without a completed and approved traffic review. Other concerns included the proposed building placement relative to Town Center objectives, store aesthetics and compatibility with adjacent Winter Springs Marketplace buildings, and the presence or absence of features such as baby‑changing stations in public restrooms.

Public commenters urged careful traffic analysis. Resident Gina Schafer said the 434/Tuscawilla corner is already heavily congested and urged the board to require a traffic study. Other residents raised questions about electric‑vehicle charging and the design of store facades facing the street.

After discussion the board voted to continue the Wawa application to Sept. 11 to allow staff time to complete the transportation review and for the applicant to respond to staff concerns. The board also continued related item 402 (additional parking at Winter Springs Marketplace) to the same date so both items can be considered together. On the motion to continue, roll call was: Chairperson Ma (Aye); Board member Hood (Aye); Board member Macon (Aye); Board member Law (Aye).