SCHUYLKILL TWP, PA — Wawa opened a 24-hour convenience store and fuel station along Route 23 in Schuylkill Township on Thursday, October 22, completing a years-long development process that faced opposition over traffic concerns and adding approximately 35 jobs to the Phoenixville-area commercial corridor.
The 6,000-square-foot store at 799 Valley Forge Road replaces a former Exxon station near North Whitehorse Road. The property includes 10 fuel pumps and employs approximately 35 full- and part-time workers.
The opening marks the transition of a contested development into an operating business along a stretch of Route 23 where residents previously raised concerns about traffic congestion and the potential effects of additional commercial activity.
The Schuylkill Township Board of Supervisors granted preliminary and final land-development approvals between 2021 and 2022 following extensive conditional-use hearings, paving the way for site work and pre-construction permitting through 2024.
Opposition to the project centered on traffic conditions along Valley Forge Road and the site’s proximity to another approved convenience-store development.
The store is Wawa’s 75th opening of 2026, part of a broader expansion program targeting nearly 100 new locations across 14 states this year.
Wawa estimates that a typical new store represents an investment of approximately $7.5 million, although the company did not provide a project-specific investment figure for the Schuylkill Township location.
The Pennsylvania-based convenience-store operator continues to expand its retail and fuel network through new construction and redevelopment of existing commercial properties.
The Route 23 location offers prepared foods, beverages, convenience merchandise, and fuel, with operations scheduled around the clock.
For nearby residents and commuters, the opening adds another retail and fueling option along the corridor. It also introduces a new source of vehicle trips at an intersection where traffic impacts were a central issue during the approval process.
The new location operates as Wawa Store No. 8222 at 799 Valley Forge Road, Phoenixville, PA 19460.
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