Santa Rosa's first Wawa store planned for Pace. Here's what all the fuss is about

Wawa is more than a gas station, it's an experience, and soon Pace residents may have a chance to experience it for themselves.

The fast-growing and widely popular gas-and-convenience chain is continuing its plans for expansion across the Panhandle, bringing with it a reputation for great customer service, meticulously cleaned bathrooms and a menu that rivals some of the biggest and best fast food chains.

A development proposal was submitted to Santa Rosa County by a Tampa-based group to build the county's first Wawa location in the Pace area on the northwest corner of Berry Hill Road and King George Parkway.

This project is one of four Wawa locations that have been proposed across Escambia and Santa Rosa County since the beginning of 2023.

Developers plan for the potential Wawa to be 6,327 square feet, have eight gas pumps and come with a projected 48 parking spaces on a 3.2-acre site, according to the project's site plans filed with Santa Rosa County. The project is set for a pre-application meeting with Santa Rosa County’s Development Services on Wednesday to discuss and review the plans.

The potential Wawa’s developers proposed the project to Santa Rosa County on March 11. This is the first location that has been proposed for the Santa Rosa County area since Wawa announced its multi-store plans for our area.

Where’s Wawa coming across Escambia and Santa Rosa County?

There have been four Wawa stores proposed for development across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties since last year. Three of the locations are intended for Escambia County, while the potential Berry Hill Road store is the only proposed Wawa project in Santa Rosa County.

Two of three projects to develop new Wawa stores were approved by Escambia County’s Development Review Committee.

The first Wawa to be approved is being built at 5888 W. Nine Mile Road and is planned to be 6,119 square feet on an almost 18-acre parcel, according to the development’s project information form filed with Escambia County.

The second Wawa project approved by Escambia County is landing at 8840 Boesch Lane and will be built on a 2-acre parcel of previously undeveloped land, according to the project’s information form filed with Escambia County. This store will be 5,915 square feet and have 71 parking spaces.

A project to develop a 5,915-square-foot-Wawa on the corner of North Blue Angel Parkway and U.S. Highway 98 West was proposed to Escambia County last year, but the project has not yet been approved.

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What is Wawa?

The popular convenience store and gas station chain, renowned for its hoagies, customization choices and 24/7 availability, began in 1964 in Pennsylvania and has branched out from the state in a rapid fashion.

Wawa has opened nearly 300 stores in Florida and employs about 10,000 associates across the state.

Wawa's existing Florida stores are mostly in the southwest, across Central Florida and up and down the east coast, but in 2021 Wawa announced plans to open up to 40 new stores around Pensacola, Panama City and Tallahassee (along with Mobile, Alabama) over the next eight to 10 years.

Wawa recently shared its latest plans for expansion in Tallahassee at a community day event in late January.

Florida isn’t the only Southern state whose markets are being tapped into by Wawa; Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina each have their first Wawa store planned to open soon.

The chain now has more than 1,000 stores operating in six states across the northeast and southeast U.S.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: New Wawa location proposed for Pace Santa Rosa County