The developer of the proposed Wawa at East 11th and Fayette, Provco Pineville Fayette, has withdrawn the application which lists Wawa as the operator of gas pumps and a convenience store. A new application has been submitted that is similar in scope, but does not list an operator.

We had heard that there were some subpoenas from the opposition to Wawa seeking information from Wawa and the Moore family. In the emails we were provided today, the developer’s attorney’s stated that due to Wawa’s name no longer appearing in the application, the subpoenas for Wawa are now moot and that they will object to the subpoena of the Moore family during the hearing before the Zoning Hearing Board on April 30th. We are trying to find out what information was being sought through the subpoenas.

This development is very curious. It could just be an effort by Wawa to get around having to respond to the subpoena. It could also mean that they have given up on opening a location within the borough’s border. We have sent an email to Wawa asking if they still have hopes of opening in Conshohocken.

It is even more curious in regards to public opinion on the project. The application is basically the same as before and the Wawa brand did not really matter in regards to the zoning issue. However, there was public support for the project based solely on the benefits people felt a Wawa would provide. Would the fans of Wawa want to make a zoning change for an unknown generic operator?

We will update this story as we gather more information. The Zoning Hearing Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 30th at 7:00 p.m. at the ballroom of the Washington Fire Company.