Penndel: Council Asks for Delay in Public Wawa Hearing

By Vic Monaco, Correspondent | Posted: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 6:00 am

Penndel council wants to delay Thursday’s Wawa hearing to allow the borough engineer, zoning officer and the county planning commission time to review the plans.A much-awaited public meeting on a plan for a large Wawa and free-standing pharmacy in Penndel likely will wait a little longer.

At the suggestion of its solicitor, borough council unanimously agreed Monday to ask the developer to delay a requested hearing before the borough planning commission scheduled for Thursday. The delay is needed, solicitor Michael Savona said, in order to give the borough engineer, zoning officer and county planning commission time to review the plans.

“It’s a little early for the planning commission. … If we’re going to have a meaningful review, I think we should ask the developer for a delay,” said Savona.
The solicitor estimated the borough should be in a better position for a planning commission hearing in December. If the developer were to disagree, he said, the commission could simply vote against the plan this week.
The conversation began Monday when councilwoman Arlene Harms suggested the borough’s planning consultant, Pennoni Associates, be invited to the planning commission meeting.

Savona and management consultant Bob Pellegrino said the extra time should be used to have Pennoni review the traffic impact of the development proposed just southwest of the intersection of Old Lincoln Highway and Bellevue Avenue. Council agreed.
The council also voted unanimously to allow Savona to represent the borough at the planning commission hearing, despite that colleagues of his have represented the Wawa developer.