The City of Winter Springs on Monday approved the Wawa at Winter Springs Marketplace project — a proposed convenience store with gas pumps at the corner of State Road 434 and Tuscawilla Road — after lengthy public comment, staff analysis and debate among commissioners.

The 5-0 vote approved the developer’s conditional-use and site-plan applications and the related development-agreement package, subject to a staff condition limiting monument signage to a single sign at the intersection of State Road 434 and Tuscawilla and contingent upon completion of the related parking modifications and technical permitting for the adjacent pond and access work.

Why it matters: The project ended months of internal review and public meetings and will convert a long-vacant corner into a commercial use that city staff and the developer say will add jobs, tax revenue and foot traffic to the Winter Springs Marketplace. Opponents — including the Planning & Zoning board and several residents — had urged tighter alignment with the city’s Town Center (T5) design standards and raised concerns about pedestrian safety, vehicular queuing and the proximity of underground fuel tanks to a detention pond.

What the commission approved and why the vote was conditional

City staff originally recommended denial of the conditional-use application, site plan and development agreement, saying the convenience store as proposed did not meet core town-center design concepts and that the building was set too far back from the street for the T5 transect. Staff also recommended denial of the setback waiver but recommended approval of a streetscape waiver and approval of the project’s aesthetic review. Planning & Zoning had voted unanimously to recommend denial of the conditional use, site plan and development agreement two prior hearings.

Senior planner Janelle Garnett summarized staff findings during the public hearing: “Staff recommends denial of the conditional use, site plan application and development agreement, as it does not meet the fundamental urban design concepts… the convenience store remains as originally proposed and staff confirmed there are no hardships to reconfigure the site layout to meet town center standards.”

Developer and applicant remarks

Equinox Development’s Brian Stahl and Wawa’s area manager Craig Green told the commission the applicant had worked with staff and neighbors, changed exterior colors and reduced canopy/pump counts to fit site constraints. Green described Wawa’s community and workforce commitments in detail, saying the chain typically hires locally and “we're gonna hire 30 to 40 individuals” at a new store and stressing employee pay and benefits.

Traffic, safety and environmental concerns

Engineers for the applicant and the city both described why rotating the store and moving the fuel canopy closer to State Road 434 — the city’s code preference for a “principal building” near the street — was operationally difficult for Wawa. Wawa’s engineers said moving the canopy into the interior of the site would concentrate fuel‑pump traffic near the Marketplace’s interior driveway and could queue vehicles into Tuscawilla. City engineering staff and third‑party consultants cautioned a reorientation would require a new traffic analysis and more detailed geotechnical work.

Commissioner Mark Caruso voiced environmental concern about locating underground fuel tanks nearer the detention pond, saying: “Placing the tanks closer to the detention pond increases the environmental risk… In the event of a leak, contaminants could more easily reach the groundwater or nearby ecosystems.” The developer responded that modern tank systems include leak detection and that Wawa follows applicable state and industry standards.

Pedestrian access and Roberts Family Lane parking

Staff and applicants also discussed pedestrian access from the adjacent high school and the need to discourage unsafe cut‑throughs into the neighboring Roberts Family Lane subdivision. As a mitigation measure the developer proposed a sidewalk alignment, a low “knee” wall and other landscaping to guide foot traffic away from the canopy and toward safe crossings. The project’s approval was conditioned on related site modifications: the commission required the developer to proceed with a companion application (Item 401) to add 10 parking spaces and realign Roberts Family Lane access. That secondary application was also approved Monday, but the city noted the additional parking and roadway work remain contingent on permit approvals from the regional water management district and completion of associated pond redesign work.

Public comment

More than two dozen speakers addressed the commission during public input and the quasi‑judicial hearing. Supporters said the project brings jobs, charitable giving and brand‑name tenants the community desires; opponents pointed to the town‑center code, potential pedestrian safety issues and environmental risk. Planning & Zoning chair Kokwan Ma told commissioners the board recommended denial because the proposed building footprint leaves the principal building far behind the street wall intended by the T5 code.

Final actions and next steps

The commission approved the site plan and related waivers unanimously. Commissioner Baker moved approval with the staff‑recommended sign condition; the motion was seconded and passed 5‑0. Separate approval of the related parking and Roberts Family Lane modifications (Item 401) passed 5‑0 with the caveat that the St. John’s (regional) Water Management District still must sign off on permit changes to the detention pond; the project cannot begin site work until that permit is granted. City staff will validate final engineering compliance and the city manager was authorized to confirm the technical conditions before issuance of permits.

What remains unresolved: the applicant told the commission it intends to add electric‑vehicle charging and other pedestrian features that were not included in the formal site plan packet; staff said those offerings would need to be incorporated into engineered plans and reviewed before being made conditions of approval. The St. John’s Water Management District letter cited by staff remains open and could require pond redesign that would be reflected back to the commission if substantial changes are necessary.

Community context and fiscal note

The project site is 1.22 acres in the Town Center District and includes a gas canopy with six pump islands (twelve dispensers). The developer supplied an estimated assessed value and fiscal projection in the packet: an estimated assessed value near $7 million and estimated annual city ad valorem revenue of about $170,100. The commission and staff said those fiscal figures were one factor among many in their deliberations.

Next steps for residents and stakeholders

The developer must finalize engineered plans that incorporate the commission’s conditions, obtain the St. John’s Water Management District permit for the pond modifications tied to the added parking, and clear final engineering and traffic reviews. City staff said they will prioritize those reviews and return any revised documents to the commission or city manager for final administrative validation as required by the approval.

— End —