Planning commission approves Wawa site plan, endorses convenience-store redevelopment

The Mount Jude Planning Commission gave positive recommendations for two commercial site plans on March 19: a Wawa at 4515 Beckwith Road and a convenience-store redevelopment at 2190 North Mount Juliet Road.

City planner John told the commission the Wawa-related PUD amendment (including pump count) had passed first reading at the board of commissioners; the commission approved the site plan with a written condition that the site-plan approval will be null and void if the PUD amendment fails on second read. Chip Ashley, representing Wawa and O'Dacre McDonald, told the commission, “Wawa is really excited about this location and finally being in the community.”

On the convenience-store plan at 2190 North Mount Juliet Road, staff and traffic reviewers said the revised plan addressed earlier concerns about access and circulation. Engineer Will Clark presented the design and said the team “addressed all the comments that have been issued.” Commissioners discussed parking counts and circulation patterns; one commissioner cautioned about reduced parking and potential circulation loops but ultimately moved and approved a positive recommendation to the board.

Both approvals were recorded as positive recommendations to the board of commissioners; the Wawa approval included the contingency tied to the pending PUD amendment at the board.