Wawa officials project Williamsport store to open early next year

Williamsport, Pa. — The new Wawa convenience store and gas station is projected to open in Williamsport by the first quarter of 2025, according to a company spokesperson.

Construction began earlier this year at the site at 164 Maynard St. The site, which is part of what will become Maynard Commons, is on a 2.67-acre parcel across from the Pennsylvania College of Technology. The store will be situated within walking distance from more than 4,000 college students.

Although ground preparation work hit a snag in January when a cancer-causing chemical was found, that has since been remediated and construction resumed by early summer.

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The Williamsport store is part of Wawa's expansion into Central Pa., which includes a plan to open five stores in the region by the end of 2024 and 12 additional stores in 2025. The first of those stores opened Thursday in Middletown, just outside of Harrisburg. The company also plans to open stores in Northumberland and Union counties next year, according to a press release. The Union County store will be located on West Branch Highway in Kelly Township. Ground preparation began for that site over the summer.

Wawa has not yet disclosed where in Northumberland County the company is planning to open a store.

"To build each store, Wawa will invest more than $7.5 million per store and employ on average 140 contractors and local partners. Once open, the store will employ an average of 35 associates," said Alyson Mucha, public relations lead for Wawa.

A Chick-fil-A fast-food restaurant also will open next to Wawa. The City of Williamsport approved a land subdivsion request in July from developer Famvest, who owns the Maynard Commons site. The vacant property located at the corner of First and Maynard streets is divided into two lots to accommodate both Chick-fil-A and Wawa. The restaurant will be 5,197-square-feet with seating capacity for 79 people and 112 off-street parking spaces. Access will be via three entrance and exit points on Maynard Street at First Street, and at Wirerope Drive near Sheetz. A spokesperson for Chick-fil-A said construction will begin in early 2025, with an anticipated opening late in 2025. The opening of the locally-owned Chick-fil-A restaurant is anticipated to create between 80 and 120 jobs, according to a statement from Chick-fil-A.

Related Reading: Council approves Chick-fil-A, new city employee appointments

Wawa, which has its headquarters in Delaware County, has been around since it was founded in 1902 as a dairy business outside of Philadelphia. Today, it has expanded to a store that sells fresh foods, beverages, coffee, gasoline, and other convenience items. Wawa has more than 1,070 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, and Washington D.C.