Wawa and Sheetz want to build at the same Phoenixville intersection, but neighbors don’t want either

When Sarah Sterling moved from Philadelphia to a historic home in the fast-growing Phoenixville area, she finally had space for a chicken coop, a vegetable garden, and grass for her two young children to play.

But bids from both Wawa and — in a first for the Philadelphia region, Sheetz — to build convenience stores with gas stations at a high-traffic intersection next to Sterling’s house are jeopardizing a suburban oasis, according to neighborhood activists.

Members of the group Protecting Schuylkill Township are concerned that the stores, proposed for the intersection of Route 23 and South Whitehorse Road, have the potential to introduce hazardous fumes and other disturbances in the Colonial-era district near Valley Forge National Historical Park.

Wawa and Sheetz, meanwhile, say their stores would be safe.

But, Sterling said: “These are our homes, and it’s our health and safety. You live here for three years, and it’s suddenly, like, ‘Oh, this is not as safe of an environment as I thought it was.’”

New Wawa construction is a familiar sight across the Philadelphia region, where the chain operates nearly 40 stores in the city alone.

But Sterling was flabbergasted upon learning that not only was Wawa eyeing her neighborhood, but its competitor, Sheetz, also was looking to build across the street.

Sterling and other neighbors strongly opposed Wawa’s first bid for the site in 2017, voicing their concerns at zoning hearings that stretched over a year. Though that plan was scrapped, a new proposal surfaced in 2022 and was approved by the township’s board of supervisors in April of this year.

Township officials say the chain plans to adhere to local environmental regulations, and that the plan was approved by its Environmental Advisory Council.

That followed Sheetz’s submission in March of a preliminary sketch outlining what its own station could look like. The drawing shows the store abutting the residential property next to it — one house from Sterling — with a drive-through window facing her property.

The nearest Sheetz is in Morgantown, around 50 miles from Philadelphia city limits. The Altoona-based company’s bid for the Phoenixville area is the closest the chain has ever ventured into the region.

The Sheetz store and gas station would replace the intersection’s vacant Royal Bank branch, according to the sketch. Wawa, meanwhile, has proposed to replace an ExxonMobil station across from it. A Sunoco station would remain on an opposite corner.

With the Sheetz proposal in its infancy, members of Protecting Schuylkill Township are sounding alarm bells.

Sterling, a social worker, says her chief concern is the potentially negative health effects from having three stations next to homes with young children, including her son and daughter.

Gas stations store fuel in underground tanks, and use ventilation systems to disperse fumes from those tanks that contain unburnt chemicals. According to a handful of public health studies, some of those chemicals are hazardous to humans and contribute to diseases such as cancer.

Local governments create zoning guidelines that dictate how far gas pumps must be built from homes. But Sterling and other neighbors think that Schuylkill Township, which requires a convenience store’s pumps to be set back from homes by at least 200 feet, is too liberal with its guidance.

Sterling cites the example of a study by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health that found “instances in which people could be exposed to the chemical at locations beyond [a] setback distance of 300 feet.”

That study also found that the level of harmful gases emitted from stations was sometimes 10 times higher than the amount local officials use when drafting setback guidelines. And the study suggested that when multiple stations are grouped together, the harmful effects of chemicals are compounded and require even further setbacks.

Christina Rossi, another concerned Schuylkill Township neighbor, believes that the standard 200-foot setback is outdated, born from times when gas stations “were spread out, not clustered on each corner.”

“There has been a lack of focus on health and safety,” said Rossi, who worries that the fumes will impact her adult child with disabilities.

Sterling estimates that the Sheetz pumps would be located within 300 feet of her property, and even closer to her neighbors, a family with six children.

“Folks driving by don’t have the same sense” of how close the station would be, Sterling said. “It’s literally in our backyard.”

Though neighbors are upset, there are no formal studies that suggest having multiple gas stations at the intersection will lead to a negative health impact.

Both convenience store chains say their stations would be safe for residents.

“We are committed to working with Schuylkill Township officials to develop a plan that provides a safe distance between the closest residence and our fueling areas, which includes our underground tanks and ventilation system,” a spokesperson for Sheetz said.

The spokesperson added that the distance would exceed the township’s current setback guidelines and the company maintains “a stringent environmental compliance program.”

A Wawa spokesperson said that the company’s new stores go through “an extensive site review process set forth by local municipalities” to ensure that they meet all local regulations.

“In Phoenixville, and at all Wawa stores, we install state-of-the-art safety measures to address any potential concerns,” the spokesperson said.

Members of Protecting Schuylkill Township have pushed local officials to block Sheetz’s plan, suggesting that supervisors update the zoning code to ensure new gas pumps must be constructed at least 500 feet from a residence.

Township officials are holding a public discussion on the matter on June 27, though that doesn’t mean action will be taken.

“Any time any of our residents bring a concern to the board of supervisors, they take it seriously,” said Township Manager Laurie Getz. “So it is under consideration.” However, Getz added that any action would be “very complex when it comes to zoning” and other regulations.

Meanwhile, neighbors such as Chris Sheehan are raising additional concerns.

Sheehan, whose home is closest to the proposed Wawa, is worried about noise and light pollution — the station was proposed as a 24/7 business — as well as the potential for the stations to bring additional traffic to an already commercialized corridor where historic property still stands.

After conversing with local activists, he’s added environmental concerns to that list.

“It’s not just a one-off impact,” said Sheehan, rattling off the three stations. “There’s that multiplier effect.”