Proposed Eatontown Wawa Could Include Left Turn Lane To Route 35

By Christopher Sheldon

Fidelity Eatontown LLC, the developer looking to build a Wawa and Chick-Fil-A at the corner of Route 35 and Wycoff Road, continued its hearing before the Eatontown Planning Board on Monday night with the news that is considering a left turn lane to Route 35 from the proposed site.

Originally, only a right turn onto Route 35 was proposed, along with a right turn and the possibility of a left turn onto Wycoff Road.

Traffic engineer Maurice Rached said on Monday night that the plan will now either have a left turn onto Route 35 or a left turn onto Wycoff Road, but not both.

Rached said the county, which has jurisdiction over Wycoff Road, and the New Jersey Department of Transportation, which owns Route 35, are working together to see which turn would make more sense.  He said Fidelity is in the process of submitting data to both entities and expects to have an answer in 2-3 weeks. 

Residents of nearby condominiums and apartments said making a left turn on Wycoff Road would be difficult, but that a left turn onto the Route 35 from the site would not be plausible. 

Eatontown Planning Board Chairman Carl Sohl agreed that a left turn lane onto Route 35 would not be a good idea and said he hoped that the state would agree that a turn onto Wycoff Road would be better for the site.

The proposed site includes a Wawa and 8-dispenser gas station that would be open 24/7 and employ 40-50 employees.

It also includes a drive-thru Chick-Fil-A which would be open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and be closed on Sundays.

Chick-Fil-A Development Consultant John Martinez said the restaurant would do most of its business by way of the drive-thru but that there would also be indoor and outdoor seating.

A third building is proposed for the rear of the property, but it does not have any tenants at this time. If the project is approved, and a tenant is found, Fidelity would have to come back to the board for approval at a later date.

The Wawa application is expected to be heard by the board at either its Dec. 9 or Dec. 16 meeting.