I am totally mystified by the Bratton quote "that's the beauty of real estate." So, Wawa thinks that tearing down 300 year old treasures to put up a hideous Wawa store that they will probably abandon in 23 years to tear down some more treasures to put up more Wawas is the BEAUTY of real estate??? That is, by far, the most insane comment I have ever heard on a topic like this. Once those buildings are gone, they're gone forever and frankly, a crappy brick and orange WAWA does not make up for the loss. This would be an absolute shame that could never be undone. And, Wawa, if any of you over there are reading this...if you tear down those buildings to put up an eyesore, you've lost at least one customer for life. Find a new spot to uglify.

The people have spoken, now let's see how much it matters to this company and how much it matters to Council, who has the final say in whether or not to allow Wawa to build, by approving the changes to the existing ordinances, that currently block such a proposal.

I think the "conceptual rendering" of the proposed store by WAWA looks very nice. I do have to agree about the traffic concerns. It already takes 10 minutes just to drive the 1/2 mile through downtown Hatboro.

I can meet you somewhere in town with the petition if you would like to sign. Just let me know.

The last thing we need is yet another Wawa --- not at that specific location, anyway. We already have several gas station Wawas within a mile or two of that proposed location ... do we really need to change the character of that end of town so dramatically to accommodate one more? I will happily add my name to the petition if the opportunity arises.

It really doesn't matter what you sign, Wawa has the cash, and every town across the country cares little what you say anymore, they only see tax income and also tax paying low income jobs. I would still sign it anyway if there was a way for me to do so, I live two blocks behind town.

Common sense says, we have one working wawa, a 7-11 one street light down, two large gas stations at the north of town, one in the middle and another on Easton road, we don't need anymore. But common sense and politics are like oil and water, the just don't mix well.

As soon as the new Wawa opens, they will putter along with the old one for a few months and then close it, you see it happening all over. The last few lines in the above paragraph state that that is the corporate intention.

Well, whats to stop people from getting their coffee, hoagies, and cheap gas, certainly not 300 year old buildings.

I respect your opinion of a Wawa store/gas station being an 'eyesore' but I feel like the 15+ empty store fronts, in a less then 1 mile stretch, are an eyesore! I appreciate the iconic value of the Old Mill Inn but in reality - it is just another empty, unkempt building with overgrown and out of control landscaping, sitting useless.
Has anyone considered moving the Old Mill Inn to the field across the street? Perhaps Millers Field could be the new location for preserving the historical buildings, not in use, of Hatboro. It could be an educational attraction.
As for 20 years down the road, IF the Wawa gas station closed - a Gooogle search shows that gas stations all across america and the world, have been converted into unique homes, cafes, restaurants, car dealerships, hair salons and more.
In reality, Wawa has the money to make this purchase and Hatboro needs the money. The next time a storm knocks power out and you need milk, cat food or cigarettes = you will be there and Wawa will be there for you!

The statement in the article that says "In a poll on a previous Patch article, 73 percent of 745 respondents said they were in favor of a second Wawa in Hatboro" just kills me. I saw the poll, and it simply asks if people are in favor of a second Wawa - but no mention of WHERE the Wawa may be located. Let's get one thing straight: residents aren't against a second Wawa - they are against a second Wawa in THAT location. The poll is highly flawed, in my opinion, and shouldn't even be cited in this article.

I believe that it should be clarified that the tax revenue that Hatboro will actually receive per year from Wawa is not stated in this article. Because of a state cap on the amount of such tax, the tax revenue to benefit Hatboro will be a mere $700, not $30,000.

Theresa, the article states where the Wawa is proposed to be built, but the poll question does not. Asking "are you in favor of a second Wawa?" is not the same as asking "are you in favor of a second Wawa in the proposed location?". Just my take, it's a VERY flawed poll and considering there is no way to monitor whether or not the respondents were residents of Hatboro, I don't think it should be mentioned in the article at all.

Not allowing wawa to develop an existing eye sore like the old mill property is signing the death certificate for Hatboro commerce. Do we really want to send the message to potential businesses that if we don't like you, and you aren't welcome? What makes us (the residents) experts? I wasn't completely sold on the 55 and older development but the alternatives were much worse (INCLUDING BEING VACANT). Let wawa give Hatboro the shot in the arm it needs, so that other vacant properties look more appealing. When the Hatboro resident association comes up with a sold, no fail business plan to open up businesses in town as an alternative, then we can start to dictate. Don't hate wawa for trying to make a buck... It's called progress. Traffic is never going to get better. You don't like it, hold your council accountable or hold your tongue. We need the economic stimulus in the community. Flooding will never be fixed, traffic will always existing, and teenagers will always be loitering. Get over yourselves.

Theresa, I doubt we're ever going to see eye to eye on this - but my response to "do you support a second Wawa in Hatboro?" would be a "Yes". My response to "do you support a second Wawa at the proposed site in Hatboro?" - which would obviously be implied by the article - would be "No". I just don't feel the poll was very clear. If you can't see my point on this, then I see no reason to further debate. But I am pretty sure that 73% of our residents have no interest in seeing a Wawa built on that site, so again I'm not sure why the poll was mentioned, my impression is that it is incredibly accurate. That said, I enjoy reading your articles and I appreciate your efforts to keep our community informed of the current issues.

By the numbers, 7200 residents in Hatboro, 200 attended the meeting and about 1000 have signed the petition. The way I look at it, about 3% to 14% of the community is not for Wawa. Looks like the silent majority has spoken…….build it!

is 10% the new math majority? I say bring on the WAWA.

-getoffmylawn...we do take yoga at the YMCA, now if only there was a place nearby to get a cup of coffee and gas!

Silence of course does not equal support. In addition to that Denise, the population of Hatboro is roughly 3,000 households. How many Hatboro school students do we have? Let's subtract that number from the equation....also, we are still getting more as we speak(or rather type) so who knows what the actual # will be. Obviously, the supporters of the Super Wawa don't feel too strongly about it, or they would have gone to the meeting and spoken up. Gas stations are everywhere. Convenience stores are everywhere. Wawas are everywhere. The area is saturated, it is not worth losing Colonial buildings over this. Another buyer with an eye for historic architecture will come along, perhaps sooner than we think. Seems to me that most people are either against it or they don't really care either way.

It's important to remember that the owner of Spa Escape - a thriving business in a well-maintained building has made offers to buy the property. TD Bank, a Canadian business, owns both properties, has no interest in what they look like and wants to sell to someone who will buy both buildings. TD Bank needs to get with the plan, sell the Miller's House, donate the "Old Mill Inn" to Hatboro and be a good neighbor. Time to start letting TD Bank know what we want from them by emailing and letter writing. Also vote with your feet, meaning don't do business with the companies that won't cooperate.

There is a silent , perhaps majortity, in this town that is not so voacl but in support of the wawa. I for one am. Better to have someting on those sites than those old , useless buildings. And to all the people that have all these wonderful ideas about what could be done with those buildings, put up your own money and have a go at it, and good luck.
Here's a thought: let wawa buy those buildings and than the Burough can make a swap. The Burough can trade a parcel of the field accros the street for the buildings. Could be a win win considering that that field sits empty exept for two weeks out of the year for that side show.

It's a shame that so much of this discussion has devolved into demagoguery, hyperbole and insult. I also wish there were a way for Patch to enforce that people use their real names and not hide behind fake names and labels; that doesn't help drive the discussion forward.

@ChelleF wrote: "How do you feel the economy is turning around (worldwide) and in Hatboro, specifically. I see nothing but vacant properties on York Road. Trader Joe's doesn't think Hatboro is their clientele; Aaron's Rent a Center does. So, please tell me WHAT entrepreneurs, that meet your approval, are looking to fill the spaces of the more then FIFTEEN empty store fronts, in less then one mile of York Road." ... I wonder, though: Does Hatboro really benefit from closing the existing Wawa and moving it down to the end of town so they can add gas pumps? Or does turning the current Wawa into one more (high-profile) empty storefront do more harm to Hatboro in the longer run?

Let me ask this...

IF someone buys the properties and renovates them and brings businesses into them, would that be an acceptable alternative to you pro-Wawa people?

Or are you all dead set on demolishing those buildings to make a point about the march of progress?

There are alternatives at play, and if we as a town WAIT to see what results from this attention (this story was just on Channel 10 news tonight and in the Philly Inquirer). Other, better interested parties may be out there and just haven't realized what we have in our town.

You didn't go off and marry the first person who winked at you did you?

What about the people who own these properties, who have paid taxes on these properties for years, and who have the right to sell the propeties if they need the money? I bet April Regan and the stop Wawa people wouldn't be this vocal if someone was trying to block or limit the sale of their property. Hey April, I think you should give ten percent of the money in your 401K to help feed the hungry in our borough. I think I'll start a new group and curculate a petition calling for you to do this.

Here is an idea I want to put out there. I read an article on patch a while ago about how the borough is look at fixing up or building a new police station. what they should do is buy this property and either fix up the building next to the spa and make that their police station or knock down the spa and build it there and keep the other building around it. This way that whole end of town could be a nice entrance to hatboro with the town hall a police station and the old buildings. Plus then the police could be right out on york rd. Plus some of the old history if not all would still be there

Bottom line: our Borough Council will do what is right for its residents, home and business owners. How many businesses will be adversely affected by a big convenience store moving into town to undersell their products and cost them customers? How many homeowners will lose their property values all along Horsham road and the surrounding neighborhoods? Too many for Boro Council to rightly approve the needed ordinance changes, I'm sure.

A few weeks ago i made a post on here that Wawa would not be a draw to bring people from other areas to Hatboro.I was wrong!A freind found out what our community is going through an called me.A super Wawa was built in a community new his home.He informed me that with a rise in sales of diesel vehicles Wawa will now be installing diesel pumps in all their new fueling stations.That will be a draw for people to come to Hatboro and they will be driving dump trucks,tractor trailers an other large diesel vehicles 24 hours a day.

Who do we talk to so we can get a Grumpy Old Man Store in town? Damn straight, I'd shop there.

The Penna Historical Museum Commission just published the results of a comprehensive study that links historic preservation in working class, blighted communities like Hatboro with economic revitalization. Although counter-intuitive to established ways of looking at historic preservation, which has been seen by some as a luxury or anti-revenue, the study revealed that historic preservation stimulates the local economy and boosts property values, which are the bread and butter of small town income via property taxes. Additionally, hist. pres. helped residents hurting in a sagging economy by boosting the value their most important asset -- their homes. The results were so striking that it has been proposed that PA will roll out a new program encouraging hist. preservation as the cornerstone of an economic growth program across the State. New tax incentives are being proposed. Here is the link to the study: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/historic_preservation/3741

yes. buzz and offspring - pray tell what are you doing to improve life in our quaint borough? anything at all? or just being negative nancy and poo-poo-ing all those who actually DO something. put your money where your mouth is and get off your behind or zip it. the HRA is a group of pro-active and intelligent people who are motivated for all the right reasons. there is absolutely NO reason to have a wawa at this location. not one. flooding. traffic. property values go down. increased loitering and crime. bulldozing 300 year old building. already have convenience stores and gas stations in close proximity.
i can't wait to see buzz jr's petition. and how he/she plans to band together with the 4 other people in the borough who want a wawa here. lol

@getoffmylawn - LOVE it. :)