Over the next few weeks, you’ll see land being cleared around the corner of Farmville Road and Commerce Road in Prince Edward County. That’s where the new Wawa convenience store and gas station will be built. During their Tuesday, March 14 meeting, county supervisors signed off on the project.

This operation would be placed at the corner of Farmville Road and Commerce Road. The store itself would be on the west side of Farmville Road, right next to the intersection.

North Chesterfield based Blackwood Capital is the company behind the Wawa request, proposing a 6,000-square foot store with eight gas pumps on the property.

“The proposed convenience store and fuel station will have approximately 50 employees,” the proposal states, “and (will) operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The convenience store offers convenience products and freshly prepared, made-to-order food and beverages.”

Representatives from both Wawa and Blackwood were on hand for Tuesday night’s meeting, applauding the community spirit they’ve seen in Prince Edward. Specifically, they pointed to an event earlier in the night, where the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams for Prince Edward Middle School were honored.

“The reason Wawa is coming to Prince Edward is because of the community feel we all feel tonight,” said Mike Barga. He serves as a real estate engineer for Blackwood. “It was great to see everyone honor the middle school basketball teams. That’s (the kind of thing) we really like (to do).”

Supervisors had very few questions this time around for Wawa staff. They confirmed what the proposal says, that an estimated 50 jobs will come to the county as a result of the construction. Representatives also explained the store would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They couldn’t say exactly when construction would be finished. However, the typical timeframe is six months.

ONE REQUEST FOR THE COMPANY

The county planning commission held a public hearing on the subject Feb. 21 and added one requirement, which Blackwood representatives agreed to. The commission wanted the potential for a charging station, to use on electric vehicles.

During that February hearing, Wawa representatives pointed out that the company itself doesn’t provide electric charging stations. Instead, they get the sites prepped and then a third-party electric vehicle vendor can sign a deal with the store to provide the service.

Supervisors signed off on the project by a unanimous vote.