Graphic courtesy of Botetourt Co.
By Matt de Simone
The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors approved two Special Exception Permit (SEP) requests for a new Wawa convenience store at the Daleville Town Center on the corner of Roanoke Road (Route 220) and Glebe Road in the Amsterdam District. The board voted to approve the SEP for a convenience store with possible conditions, and a SEP for an electronic message board sign, with possible conditions in the Traditional Neighborhood District.
The board voted to approved the SEP for the Wawa with a 4-1 vote. Blue Ridge Supervisor Walter Michael was the only board member who voted no. The board unanimously approved the SEP for an electronic board sign.
“This is a commercial development and has been since the early 2000s,” said Board Chair and Amsterdam District Supervisor Steve Clinton. “I have to say that I’m not surprised to see a proposed commercial development on this (property). That’s what it’s been set aside as. That’s the difference with the Sheetz, of which I famously voted against. Sheetz was a Greenfield site, but it was an undeveloped site. This one, that’s been proposed for development, and has been for a long time. That’s a consideration that I can’t quite ignore.”
Clinton added that when he first reviewed the requests, he was hesitant due to the traffic data. He said that after thoroughly going back through the data he doesn’t see a problem with it.
“When you make a decision, you have to consider ‘then what – do this then how are we going to deal with the consequences,’” Clinton continued. “I feel if we don’t approve this, we are facing unknown consequences because it’s a prime site. It’s on a developer’s property. There’s going to be something there and we can argue whether it’s going to be better or worse than a convenience store. My money is on it not being any better than a convenience store. I fully understand the difficulty that a lot of people have with this, but I think it’s in the best, long-term interest of the county as a whole that we proceed with this.”
The initial SEP request was proposed during the Jan. 23 meeting and tabled for the review of additional conditions that were needed. Citizens provided comments both in opposition and approval of the Wawa at the January and February meetings. One of the conditions suggested by comments was to not have any signage on the interstate to prevent a traffic increase, which became part of the new conditions presented by the applicant.
According to information provided in the meeting’s agenda packet, following the January Board of Supervisors meeting, county staff met with the applicant, Fralin & Waldron, to discuss their application. As a result, staff proposed additional conditions, as listed in red as conditions.
Those new conditions include:
- All other specifications and general provisions shall be met as required by the Botetourt County Zoning Ordinance and in no instance shall the zoning conditions exempt a project from any local, state, or federal development requirements, except where allowed by the Zoning Ordinance
- The applicant will install a bench for outdoor seating at the property
- The development shall not be advertised upon Virginia’s Interstate and Controlled-access Highway Specific Travel Services (Logo) Signs
The applicant stated that they were not opposed to these recommended conditions. Additionally, the applicant submitted information related to the Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) that will be presented by a representative of the applicant team.
Board Vice Chair and Buchanan Supervisor Amy White clarified that the county isn’t “breaking their own rules” approving the SEP due to the fact that the Wawa is a fuel station and an SEP is required by the state.
Fincastle Supervisor Brandon Nicely noted that “these are the type of businesses that generate a lot of tax revenue. We’re going to need that, there’s no doubt about it. That helps us when we start to consider rate adjustments. I hope you can bear with us. (Wawa) is a community-oriented business. They support education. They’re going to provide some jobs.”
Blue Ridge District Supervisor Walter Michael was the only board member who voted against the SEP for the convenience store. He explained, “I still feel that we have given this to our Planning Commission – which (consists of) county executives and knowledgeable people on these topics and I have to go with them. I need to support them as well as the voters in the community.”
Valley District Supervisor Mac Scothorn, who suggested to table the discussion last month, stated that safety was one of the biggest concerns and the applicant did a good job providing the county additional information ensuring proper safety measures when blocking the potential traffic on that corner of Route 220.
To watch the February 27 meeting of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors in its entirety, visit www.youtube/com/@botetourtcountyva.
