HAMILTON: Voices vary on Wawa proposal

Zoning board could render a vote on May 13.

by James McEvoy, Managing Editor
HAMILTON — As a conclusion in the ongoing Super Wawa application nears — a vote could come as soon as May 13 on the 5,585-square-foot convenience store — two opposing voices arose at the latest hearing in front of the zoning board Tuesday night.
   While residents continued to question the validity of the application and voice quality of life concerns, other residents and business leaders encouraged the board to approve the proposal.
   The application, if approved, would also include 16 gas pumps, as well as a 7,915-square-foot retail/office building expected to include up to four tenants at the former Patterson Chrysler auto dealership site at the intersection of Route 33 and Whitehorse-Hamilton Square Road.
   Board officials anticipate attorneys for the applicant and for Walt Steele, owner of a BP gas station approximately a third of a mile away from the proposed Wawa, who has formally opposed the application, will provide final summations May 13 after which the board could render a vote.
   Due to the applicant requesting variances – due to the proposed use’s proximity to a church – five affirmative votes are required for approval. Representatives for the applicant asked the vote be held off Tuesday evening as only six board members were in attendance.
   As other residents had in previous testimony, Bonnie Patterson told the board they should deny the application based on its inconsistency with township ordinance and Hamilton’s Master Plan.
   ”Not fully addressed – even at this hour – is the issue that the applicant has failed to show that the proposal will not be detrimental to the public good and will not adversely impact adjacent properties or the character of the neighborhood.”
   Others were a bit more colorful with their critiques.
   ”There are eight gas stations in a span of 2.2 miles,” said resident Janice Glonek. “We need another gas station on (Route) 33 like we need a truck full of cockroaches.”
   Ms. Glonek also urged the board to be cognizant of the impact the Wawa could have on small businesses, including other gas stations.
   ”Our little gas stations are local small business,” she said. “These guys are fighting tooth and a nail to stay alive.”
   She said she also believed the Wawa would cause Route 33 traffic to further deteriorate, and that a better place for the gas station and convenience store would be on Whitehorse-Mercerville Road.
   Also speaking during the public portion of the hearing were several businesses leaders in favor of the proposal.
   Jack K. Rafferty, former Hamilton mayor, and Thomas Troy of Sharbell, senior vice president of Sharbell Development Corp., both lauded Wawa for being good corporate citizens.
   ”I’m a business man,” Mr. Rafferty said, noting his current post as executive director of the Hamilton Township Economic Development Corp. “I work for the business and I also work for the community.
   ”We need business. Business is the heart blood of a community,” he said, noting the tax revenue providing by ratables. “I’ve dealt with Wawa over the years, they’re one of the finest operations that ever moved into Hamilton and stayed in Hamilton.”
   Resident Gabriella Kelly was quick to counter the former mayor.
   ”It may be good for the community, but it’s not good for me. It’s not good for my children. It’s not good for my neighbors,” Ms. Kelly said, noting her property abuts the application site. “This is not the only thing that can go on this property. There’s 55 permitted uses for this property. Why does it have to be a gas station?”
   In that vein, Mr. Troy said markets often dictate what can go where.
   ”The reality that we have to deal with is that we live in a market economy and that economy determines what will and will not work in certain locations at certain periods of time,” he said, adding that he supports the application.
   In addition, Scott McCormick, of the Nottingham Fire Company, also voiced support for the proposal.
   ”As a lifelong Hamiltonian I think this is a great project for this corner,” Mr. McCormick said, noting the retailer supports the fire company both at its annual Memorial Day Parade and by providing refreshments to firefighters during and after they extinguish fires.
   During the meeting, the board also heard testimony from their own professionals regarding traffic impacts and other engineering issues at the site.