MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Gas station and convenience store chain Sheetz is on track to have a Middletown store along the booming Interstate 75 corridor in the city’s East End.
The city’s planning commission approved the final development plan for a store to be located on the northwest corner of Ohio 122 and Union Road. This is part of the ongoing Renaissance Pointe project, which will include a 3,000-seat multi-purpose event center, premium and fast-food restaurants, and residential developments.
The proposed project will be constructed on 1.98 acres and feature a 6,139-square-foot convenience store with a single-lane drive-through and six double-sided fuel pumps. It is on land previously approved for the development of Renaissance Pointe.
A single drive-through lane is proposed, with the audio equipment located on the southeast area of the property and the pickup window located on the east side of the building, approximately 55 feet from the future development to the east. According to the city staff report, the development will also include an outdoor dining area on the north side of the building and a bike rack on the northwest corner of the building.
A total of 40 parking spaces is included in the parking lot.
The project's landscaping includes trees and shrubs. The focus is on landscaping around the monument signs, dumpster area and enclosure.
City staff recommended approval of the plan, noting it is compliant with the zoning change approved by the council in 2023
Founded in 1952, Sheetz is a combination gas station, restaurant, and convenience store chain that sells sandwiches and salads ordered through touch-screen terminals. The company operates more than 700 stores across Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland.
In the past two years, the company has opened several stores in the Dayton, Butler, and Warren County areas, including one in Springboro and Franklin.
Wawa zoning change not approved
The planning commission did not approve a proposed zoning change to build a Wawa convenience store on Union Road in Middletown after it was tabled in December.
The proposed Wawa plan is to change the 1.767-acre parcel where a former CVS store is located into a planned unit of development zoning that would permit fuel pumps.
The building on the property that is not currently in use was built in 2008 and is 13,145 square feet in total. It is to be demolished.
The proposal is to construct the convenience store at 6,372 square feet with a food service drive-up pickup window—there will not be an option to order food in the pickup lane. The fuel sales will include six double-sided fuel dispenser islands with a canopy.
The property is currently zoned for a BC-H district that permits a convenience store but not fuel pumps. Due to the small size of the lot, a zoning change and waivers are needed. The parcel of land is not part of the Renaissance Point project.
City Planner Claire Fetters said staff recommends the denial because the acreage is too small to meet the planned development acreage criteria. The plan utilizes the planned development district to spot-zone the property to allow for a use that is prohibited in the current zoning district, and the comprehensive plan calls for other uses and a vision for the property.
According to staff, the potential for the over-saturation of retail fuel establishments in the vicinity of the proposed site is also noted in the staff recommendation for denial.
The city council will now consider the proposed zoning change.
In 2024, construction began on Wawa stores in Deerfield Twp. on Fields Ertel Road and others in Liberty Twp., Fairfield, Mason, Colerain Twp. and Springdale. All are expected to be open by this summer.
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