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Yes, the long-discussed Wawa is still moving forward. In fact, you’ll start seeing construction take place on that and other commercial projects within the next two months, Prince Edward County officials say. 

In March of this year, the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors approved the Wawa store, planned for the corner of Commerce Road and Highway 15. But as we’ve documented, there’s a lot of paperwork to go through before construction actually gets started on something like this. 

That includes a full traffic impact analysis of the intersection, done by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). That study, which has been completed, looked at traffic at the intersection that includes Zion Hill Road, Highway 15 and Commerce Road. Previously the road had been getting backed up in the mornings during the school year and there was some concern about what impact placing a Wawa there on the corner would have.

But VDOT helped reduce a lot of those traffic concerns over the last year, cutting student dropoff time from 12 minutes to 4 minutes. As a result, VDOT has signed off on the traffic impact study for Wawa. Over the last three months, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) also gave the project its stormwater permit, saying they felt construction would not cause water to pool up and flood the area. The same goes for erosion and sediment control (E & S) and finally, zoning permits. 

And beyond the Wawa, there’s another commercial building going up in front of the corner of Lowe’s, where Dominion Drive is. That’s where Harbor Freight wants to move in. Prince Edward County Planning Administrator Robert Love said he’s received the bond for Harbor Freight and its moving forward as well. 

When will Wawa go up? 

But the biggest question for residents, especially when it comes to the Wawa, is when will it actually go up? When will we see construction? Speaking to the Prince Edward supervisors during their Tuesday, Dec. 12 meeting, Love said it won’t be much longer. 

“Very soon, within the next 30 to 45 days, all those projects will be under construction,” Love said. “There’s a lot of commercial activity going on in Prince Edward County.” 

He also pointed to the Dollar General that’s now open in Kingsville. Love said there’s still some façade work to be done on the building, but it is already open for business. And he expects more construction in 2024. 

As an example, he used zoning permits. Just before COVID hit, Prince Edward County averaged between the high 70s to lower 80s, when it comes to a number of permits in a year. As of Dec. 12, Love has received 210 permit requests in 2023. 

“This is a booming, thriving community and the construction is showing,” Love said.