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The Villages
Friday, March 29, 2024

Planned Wawa runs into boundary dispute with church

A boundary dispute with Oxford United Methodist Church could put a wrinkle in the development of a Wawa gas station and convenience store proposed for the northwest corner of County Road 466 and U.S. 301.

Representing the church, Barbara Fisler asked the Wildwood City Commission Monday night to delay rezoning for the Wawa property until the issue is resolved.

But commissioners approved rezoning the recently annexed property to mixed use. The owner is Anthony Torri and CLD Properties.

“We have been maintaining the property for 40 years and our well is on a disputed portion of the property line,” Fisler said. “We were hopeful that we could reach an agreement with the developer, but they want to prevail and cap our well.”

A one-story, 6,119-square-foot gas station and convenience store is proposed for the 5.4-acre site and the property includes two other parcels totaling 2.2 acres.

Fisler said a recent land survey showed the well on the proposed Wawa property, but a 1973 survey and the church’s deed show the well on the church property.

Mayor Ed Wolf told Fisler that the boundary dispute is not the city’s concern and that it would need to be resolved in court.

“We don’t have a dog in that fight,” he said. “It’s between you and the property owner.”

City development services director Melanie Peavy said the property owner had to present a land survey and legal description when applying for the rezoning.

If the legal description and boundary survey are wrong, Wolf said, then the land can’t be developed.

Peavy said a site plan for the Wawa station will be presented Aug. 2 at the next meeting of the Wildwood Planning and Zoning Board.

Wawa plans to add 120 Florida stores by 2022. The company has more than 700 stores in the mid-Atlantic region and opened its first Florida store in July 2012. It offers soup, sub sandwiches, fresh coffee and other food items.

In other business, commissioners:

·   Approved site plans for two recreation centers and a golf course as well as plats for five neighborhoods in the Village of Fenney, the latest Villages project about four miles down County Road 468 from State Road 44.

·  Authorized an agreement with the Florida Development Finance Corp. to provide $90 million to finance construction of the Elim Senior Care Facility, a four-story project with 187 independent living beds, 64 assisted living beds and 42 memory care beds at Woodridge Drive and County Road 103 near Wal-Mart.

·  Amended the city’s police pursuit policy, making it more restrictive to safeguard citizens and officers.

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