Heard on the Street: Wawa to Swallow Three Downtown Glenside Parcels

Proposed Wawa Development

When Wawa builds, it now builds big. Wawa will soon present plans to the Cheltenham Zoning Board that will redevelop not only the former Lukoil station at the corner of Easton and Waverly, but the Gerhard office and the house in between.

Do you think that this is good for the community? Would you rather see something more pedestrian-oriented?

This presentation submitted to the urbanist website Strongtowns.org argues that such developments ultimately harm the community.

“No amount of cultured stone or decorative landscaping on this development could purport to accomplish the same level of conviviality and fiscal productivity accomplished by its traditional urban counterpart. Further, single-use developments of this nature have not demonstrated any sort of resiliency beyond their first life cycle. “

What do you think? Is a cheap easy coffee worth bringing down property values in downtown Glenside and stripping it of its charm?

Let us know what you think in the comments.