New Super Wawa plan may not be so convenient for Cherry Hill residents.

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Courtesy of nbcnews.com

One of the many Wawa locations in Cherry Hill

As South Jersey residents, we all visit the beloved Wawa on a consistent basis. Whether it’s for a snack before heading to school/work, or getting gas to start the week, Wawa has served as a convenient rest stop in our community for as long as we can remember. However, Cherry Hill Township has presented a new Super Wawa plan that is more detrimental than favorable.
    The proposed plan is for a new Super Wawa to be established in the Barclay Shopping Center Route 70 East, right across the highway from the current Wawa location. It may seem advantageous for Barclay residents to access the new Wawa that is proposed to be on the East side of the highway, but negative consequences outweighs this one positive aspect.
Being a historic neighbourhood and shopping center, the Super Wawa would be destroying historic buildings such as the Barclay Pavilion as well as the entrance islands on West Gate Drive and Kingston Drive. These locations will be razed in order to create more traffic lanes to prevent congestion as people enter and exit the shopping center upon Wawa’s arrival. Traffic averaging at 1,000 vehicles per day will immediately decrease property value of Barclay homes and pose danger to children walking as well as biking.
    Not only will the Wawa pose issues to the neighbourhood, but also the environment as a whole. Creating yet another Super Wawa will increase the risk of unintended gas spills which would evidently run into the Copper River Basin and contaminate our waters. Litter, noise pollution (loud music), and light pollution will be a result of the Wawa operating 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year. Considering one Super Wawa is just 1.3 miles down Route 70 as well as another Super Wawa 2.6 miles around the corner on Haddonfield Road, do we really need another Wawa?
    Thinking about the effects of creating this Super Wawa, know that it is not too late to take action and turn this plan the other way around. There a many ways to donate against this plan: buy a lawn sign (www.preservebarclay.com), venmo (@barclay-farm), Go Fund Me (https://gofund.me/f366cdfc), or send a check to Preserve Barclay Group (575 Pelham Road, Cherry Hill NJ 08034). All donations will be used to fund the “Land Use” lawyer.
    Consider how local residents feel as their homes are being encroached upon by commercial creeping. Stop this now by donating and spreading the word!