The city is reviewing a permit application for Wawa Inc. to build a gas station and convenience store in North Jacksonville near the Amazon.com fulfillment center at a project cost of almost $1.08 million.
Cuhaci & Peterson Architects of Maitland is the consultant for the gas station and convenience store at 12654 Pecan Park Road on land owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority.
The authority said the site is under a site access agreement that provides Wawa time to conduct due diligence, design and permitting.
“We anticipate taking a ground lease to the Board in Q1 of ’24 for approval,” said Greg Willis, authority marketing and public relations manager, in an email Oct. 31.
Wawa proposes a 6,119-square-foot gas station and convenience store at an estimated $750,000, a gas canopy at $250,000 and a dumpster enclosure at $75,000.
Jacksonville-based England-Thims & Miller Inc. is the civil engineer.
The city issued a mobility fee calculation certificate for a 6,119-square-foot building with eight fueling stations with 16 fuel pumps on 4.8 acres at Pecan Park and Duval roads.
The city determined a fee of $459,708 to mitigate the development impact. The certificate is dated July 27, 2023.
The master site plan shows the development will take 3.38 acres.
The site is owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority at the Pecan Park Road entrance to the Amazon.com fulfillment center. Duval Road turns into International Airport Boulevard north of Pecan Park Road.
“JAA continues to finalize the lease with WAWA as they complete the necessary permitting and approvals for construction,” said authority Marketing & Public Relations Manager Greg Willis in an email.
Pennsylvania-based Wawa has said it plans to open up to 40 locations in the area.
The company recently opened at 8742 Baymeadows Road at southeast Baymeadows Road and Baymeadows Way west of Interstate 95 and at 970 Cassat Ave. at Normandy Boulevard and Cassat Avenue, south of I-10.
Wawa said in announcing those openings that it will have opened 14 stores in Jacksonville since 2017.
Wawa also has stores in neighboring counties.
The chain says it plans to open 76 stores in the mid-Atlantic region and Florida in 2023.
Among the next stores under development or consideration:
• A 6,119-square-foot store at 7142 Commonwealth Ave. in West Jacksonville at an estimated construction cost of $1 million. Cuhaci & Peterson of Maitland is the consultant. The undeveloped site is west of I-295 and near Pickettville Road.
• A 6,200-square-foot store with 16 fueling positions at Wildlight in Nassau County. England-Thims & Miller Inc. is the civil engineer. The St. Johns River Water Management District also is reviewing the project, which is on 1.85 acres at Florida A1A and Homegrown Way and Daydream and Wildlight avenues.
• A 6,119-square-foot store at Race Track Road and Big Cypress Drive off of U.S. 1 in Grand Cypress in St. Johns County. Cuhaci & Peterson of Orlando is the civil engineer.
• A 6,119-square-foot store at County Road 210 and Beachwalk Boulevard in St. Johns County. Cuhaci & Peterson is the civil engineer.
At the April 2017 groundbreaking for the store along Gate Parkway at The Crossing at Town Center, Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens said the company invests $6 million into each store, translating into a $240 million investment in Northeast Florida.
Wawa confirmed its interest in Northeast Florida in January 2016 as it was expanding in Florida.
In a June 2016 presentation in Clay County, Wawa said it intended to roll into North Florida in a big way, with at least 30 locations eventually.
John Poplawski, vice president of real estate, said Northeast Florida is at least a 30-store market, and it could expand to 40 or more, depending on customer support.