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This picture provided by Wawa shows the typical exterior of one of the Pennsylvania-based company's convenience stores/gas stations. Construction of a Wawa in Celina is expected to start in March.
CELINA - A Wawa convenience store/gas station is set to be built next year at 1401 State Route 703, the current site of the China Wok Buffett.
Reese Moore, a commercial agent for Crawford Hoying of Dublin, submitted a site plan review for a proposed 6,372-square-foot Wawa on 2.23 acres to the Celina Planning Commission in late August.
Commissioners subsequently signed off on the request. Located in southeast Celina in between State Route 29 and State Route 703, the land on which the Wawa will be built is presently owned by Kang Yong Chen and Mei Yu Zheng, according to the Mercer County Auditor's Office's website.
Wawa site drawings presented to commissioners list a total of 54 parking spaces - one space per fuel pump, plus one space for each 100 square feet of convenience retail.
"They have put stakes out there, but as I understand and I just heard … last night, they're not gong to start this until March, but I believe right now (there's one) under construction in Shawnee," Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel told The Daily Standard on Friday afternoon. "The Chinese restaurant, I assume, is probably going to continue through the winter, but then they'll knock all that down, clear the site and build it."
The Celina Wawa will employ about 35 associates, according to a company news release.
"I think it's a great development for that site," Hazel added. "It does have what I'm going to call a convenience store, but it's more of an upscale one. They have some really good foods … and they're also a store that sells gas."
At an Aug. 28 Celina Planning Commission meeting, Moore "gave a brief history of the business, (and) … stated his team works to develop new sites for Wawa and felt this location to be ideal," meeting minutes states. "Moore expressed his appreciation for the city being 'very nice to work with.'"
Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and Washington, D.C., according to a Wawa fact sheet.
The stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as built-to-order hoagies, freshly brewed coffee, a hot breakfast sandwich called the Sizzli, dinner items including burgers and fries, soups, sides and snacks, and a full line of hot, iced and frozen specialty beverages.
Wawa carries more than 6,000 items including groceries, tobacco and candy. The stores offer surcharge-free ATMs, and the company began opening stores with gasoline operations in 1996 in an effort to provide customers with a total one-stop shopping experience, according to the fact sheet.
The stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Wawa projects opening up to 10 stores this year in Ohio, a Wawa news release indicates. Over the next 5-8 years, Wawa reportedly plans to build and open 6-10 stores annually in Ohio, with expectations to open up to 60 stores in the state.
To build each store, Wawa reportedly will invest more than $7.5 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates, with Wawa expecting to create 2,500 new, long-term new jobs as a result of expansion in Ohio.
Rich EditorWawa broke ground on its first Ohio location in June 2024, a store at 5308 Fields Ertel Road in Cincinnati. The store opened in April. Kentucky and Indiana were also slated to get their first Wawa locations in 2025, according to FOX Business.
