Winter Springs unanimously approves Wawa at Tuskawilla Road, S.R. 434

The Winter Springs City Commission unanimously approved a Wawa gas station in the Town Center, over objections from staff and the Planning and Zoning Board. 

After a four-hour meeting that at times got heated between commissioners, all five city commissioners ultimately voted in favor of allowing the Wawa to come to the southwest intersection of State Road 434 and Tuskawilla Road. 

City staff and the Planning and Zoning Board recommended denying the project because the gas pumps are fronting State Road 434, with the convenience store set farther back.

“I think that it is absolutely, again, reprehensible that the city continues to act … hostile to business and hostile to capital,” said Commissioner Paul Diaz. “I would actually suggest to my colleagues that we approve this the way that it is right now.”

And in a surprise moment, City Commissioner Sarah Baker agreed with Diaz. 

“I’ve heard both sides,” said City Commissioner Sarah Baker. “I also think it’s not 1998, and whoever thought that this was a walkable Town Center was foolish. The vision is poor. It was poor in 1998, and it’s poor now. 

“I think we should move forward,” Baker said to cheers from the audience.

Residents were mixed on the project, with the majority who spoke in favor of it. Winter Springs resident Brittany Crowley said that as a small business owner, she’s in favor of the project.

“I do appreciate everything you guys are doing, and you guys are trying to keep code and everything,” Crowley said. “With that being said, codes (and) rules always can evolve. They can change to help the city. And I do think that this plan is fantastic for our city.”

Winter Springs resident and former City Commission candidate Karen Meyer said that while she supports a Wawa, the project should be tweaked. 

“It seems like an awful lot of gifted people are working really hard to put five pounds in a two pound bag,” Meyer said. “This corner isn’t going to grow any bigger. … I think it would be a nice asset for winter springs, but I think it needs to be revisited and pared down in their dimensions.”

Winter Springs Mayor Kevin McCann, who doesn’t vote unless there’s a tie, said he wants to see a Wawa come in. But he wanted it to conform to current code.  

“If we’re gonna put a Wawa in there, just make it the best damn Wawa we can,” McCann said “And that’s my piece.”

Construction could start in first quarter of 2026; electric charging stations coming

After the meeting, Developer Ryan Stahl said the current plan is to break ground in the first quarter of 2026, and the gas station would hopefully “open in 2026.”

The convenience store design, as approved, is 4,736 square feet, with six double gas pumps under a 5,903-square-foot canopy. Separately, Stahl said he’s going to contract with a third-party vendor to install six electric vehicle charging stations in the nearby parking lot – the first in Winter Springs since the Commission, including current Commissioners Victoria Bruce and Cade Resnick, voted to remove the only electric car chargers in the city in 2023. Winter Springs is the only city in Seminole County without public electric car chargers, according to the car charger locator app Plugshare. 

At the time, Bruce argued that the current chargers were “trickle” chargers and too slow, though their output, according to the U.S. Department of energy, was the same Level 2 charging output as 80% of public electric vehicle chargers. Bruce also advocated for charging stations to be included in the new Wawa development at the August Planning and Zoning Commission. 

Craig Green, a Central Florida area manager for Wawa, said he’s been talking to Wawa for years about coming to Winter Springs. 

“Right now, currently in the Central Florida market, my stores average $10.5 to $12.5 million per location (annually),” Green said “Plus, the last time I checked, I think we’re putting $8 million into this project.”

Stahl offered some concessions during the meeting to get the project approved: It’s been designed to match the Town Center colors, and has a knee wall and an additional sidewalk. There will also be changes to nearby Roberts Family Lane. 

Perhaps the biggest change is that the Wawa will, in fact, have outdoor seating.

“Any new stores, they don’t even incorporate them,” Stahl said. “At the urging of staff, it will actually be added to this particular location with the open understanding of continuing with law enforcement to make sure that everybody is safe.”

Rolle: The “concessions” weren’t concessions at all

Terrilyn Rolle, the director of community development, said those concessions weren’t really concessions. The color scheme, for example, is required by the code. 

“It’s the same exact site plan that they presented on day one,” Rolle said. “So the applicant, while there may be some constraints, there haven’t been any changes. So they actually haven’t made any significant gives or sacrifices on their site plan, because the site plan that they desire is the one before you, and it’s the one that is not complying in a tremendous way with the code.”

The Town Center is zoned to feature a blend of residential and commercial buildings, with a more pedestrian-friendly design. The zoning calls for development to be closer to the main roads, as with a city’s urban core

Because the site plan calls for the gas canopy, where people would fuel up, to be closer to State Road 434 than the convenience store, staff recommended against approval. The Town Center code, as it was previously written, only allows for one gas station – and there’s currently a Mobil station across the street.

But in May of this year, the Winter Springs City Commission approved a slight change to the ordinance, which would allow for a neighborhood convenience store that also sells gas.

Planning and Zoning Board Chair Kok Wan Mah said city staff does not often recommend denial. That was a big part of why the Planning and Zoning Board recommended denying the project.

Mah described that intersection as Winter Springs’ “Main and Main.” He said Chik-fil-A was able to make it work within the Town Center’s more stringent zoning.

“They were able to get a drive through around their restaurant and still substantially get it to work within city code,” Mah said. “That is what we did not see with Wawa and the reasons why we had recommended denial.”

A heated exchange: ‘I’d rather be a liar than a Marxist’

At times, the meeting got tense, with Diaz and Commissioner Cade Resnick going back and forth. Diaz blamed Resnick for a controversial storage unit, which is technically in Seminole County. 

“That is the reason why we have that storage unit on Tuskawilla Road, because you guys couldn’t negotiate,” Diaz said 

Resnick called Diaz a liar. 

“I’d rather be a liar than a Marxist all day long,” Diaz said. “You are against everything that is good in capitalism. That is what you are, Commissioner Resnick, and that is why your end is coming. This 12-year reign is coming to an end in the next election.”

“You’re still a liar,” Resnick said. 

Ultimately, the development is expected to generate $170,000 per year in property taxes to the city, and an additional $21,500 per year based on sales tax.

Commissioner Mark Caruso argued that flipping the site plan would put the gas storage pumps closer to the site’s detention pond, which could pose “serious environmental concerns.” 

“This is a significant tax revenue for the city that we desperately need,” Caruso added.

Winter Springs Wawa by the numbers

• Location: Southwest corner of Tuskawilla Road and State Road 434, across from the Mobil Gas Station
• Size: 1.22 acres
• Buildings: 4,736-square-foot convenience store and 5,903-square-foot gas canopy
• Pumps: Six pumps, with 12 dispensers total
• Cost: $8 million
• Employees: 30 to 40