SILVERTON, Ohio — It has a pool, two gyms, a club room and a pocket park for dogs. But soon, the AG47 apartment community in Silverton could have something new: Easy access to Wawa.
Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate is seeking zoning approvals for a pair of projects near the intersection of Montgomery and Stewart roads. One would expand the 204-unit complex to 323 apartments. The other would bring the Philadelphia -based convenience store chain to a 2-acre site across the street from AG47.
“Having that full-service coffee bar and basically a quick-service restaurant, it’s something that you can get in the Kenwood trade area. But it’s very, very convenient for our residents here,” said J.R. Anderson, co-owner of the Norwood-based development company best known for retail projects like Rookwood Commons and Crestview Hills Town Center.
Anderson estimates the apartment expansion will cost about $25 million, while site development for the Wawa store will cost about $4.5 million. Wawa typically invests about $7 million to build its own stores, Anderson added. Although no lease has been signed and zoning approvals haven’t been finalized, Anderson is confident both projects will come to fruition.
“The reason they do so well is their personal touch,” Anderson said. “They really do a lot for the community. They have an ESOP program for their employees. So, their employees are really vested into the store.”
With more than 1,000 stores nationwide, Wawa first announced plans to enter Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana in December 2022. Last September, it has identified a dozen locations with contracts signed in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties.
The Silverton Planning Commission has scheduled a May 22 meeting to consider Anderson’s application for a planned mixed-unit development. Anderson also submitted a site plan and traffic study to show whether the store might cause traffic problems at nearby Silverton Elementary School, said Jack Cameron, village administrator.
“That was question number one for me,” Cameron said. “I don’t think their traffic patterns conflict.”
Silverton has enjoyed an 11% increase in earnings tax revenue since AG47 opened in 2019. Cameron expects the number to rise with the apartment expansion and new Wawa store. He also hopes the project will bring new visitors to a fledgling retail district within walking distance of the village’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area four blocks west of the new development.
“At the corner of Plainfield and Montgomery, we’ve got concerts and movies scheduled for this year. HighGrain has their brewery on the corner,” Cameron said. “I think any time we can expose people to Silverton, drive them to just explore it and see what’s here, it’s a positive thing.”
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