Planning commission grants one-year extension for Wawa site plan

The Havre de Grace Planning Commission voted unanimously May 15 to extend site-plan approval for building permit 2024-198 — a proposed Wawa convenience store and fueling station — for one year.

The extension carries forward a previously approved site plan and is authorized under the city code permitting one-year extensions of prior approvals. Planning Director Jeffrey Goins told the commission staff had no objections to the extension in the department memo, and applicant representatives said they were resolving outstanding items with the State Highway Administration and the city’s public-works department.

The applicant’s representative, civil engineer Andrew Stein of Boller, said the team had been working with SHA on entrance details and was addressing a public-works letter about fire flows and adequate public facilities, including obtaining fire-flow tests. “We would roughly anticipate approvals through the course of this year,” Stein said, adding that the construction start date was not yet fixed.

Commissioners raised site design details and citywide infrastructure concerns. Commissioner Chip Place noted facade and sign-height issues that should align with local ordinances; Commissioner Farhat Shah emphasized a broader citywide issue raised in a public-works letter about inadequate water supply and system upgrades needed to serve new development. Shah said the city engineer’s April 11 letter made meeting adequate public facilities “very onerous” and flagged a multi‑million-dollar program of water-system upgrades needed to bring new projects into compliance.

Despite those concerns, commissioners said the project already had prior approval and that an extension could be appropriate while the applicant works through the issues. The commission then voted to grant the one-year extension.

Votes at a glance: Building permit 2024-198 — extension approved (one-year extension).