Ronald Ward was one of the first neighbors to move into a home in the Ferry Pass subdivision of Cambridge 22 years ago.
He lives at the end of a cul-de-sac that once backed up to a buffer of nearly 100 trees that have since been cleared to make way for a new Wawa gas station and convenience store under construction at the corner of N. Davis Highway and E. Johnson Ave.
Now Ward says it’s like having a Wawa in the backyard with one of its enormous signs dominating the view above the privacy fence that separates the new business from the subdivision and lights up their homes at night.
“Everybody in this subdivision is mad because they’re putting a commercial facility backed up to residential area,” Ward said. “I’ve asked for (Escambia County’s) review of the buffer zone, which there is a process whereby you review commercial backed up to residential. A buffer zone should be for sound, light and noise. All those things need to be addressed.”
Ward and other neighbors are also “very concerned” about the traffic Wawa will bring to the area.
Why traffic is biggest concern with new Wawa
Wawa’s secondary entrance and exit is on E. Johnson Avenue — a two-lane road that neighbors say is already busy and regularly experiences traffic jams near its intersection with N. Davis Highway.
According to Wawa’s traffic study, the entrance/exit on E. Johnson Avenue will also be used by fuel and delivery trucks, including semi-trucks, which came as a surprise to neighbors in nearby Cambridge.
Wawa’s on the way: What’s happening with Wawa’s expansion into Escambia, Santa Rosa counties?
“We didn’t realize that there would be the type of exit onto East Johnson that Wawa has built,” Cambridge resident, Dr. Jim Saski said. “We thought it might be a one-lane exit only. It’s just as big an entrance as on North Davis.”
Ward, a residential housing developer, says the plans indicate to him that Wawa wants it to be the main entrance.
Neighbors say the entrance/exit located there is a problem for several reasons: they already see more cars diverted to E. Johnson due to construction on N. Davis Highway, there are signs saying no semi-trucks along that part of E. Johnson that they say are rarely enforced, and the road is so narrow and busy in that area they’re concerned about traffic jams and accidents.
A fire department, daycare and other residential homes are also located near that entrance/exit on E. Johnson Avenue.
More work planned for Davis Hwy.: Pensacola wants to convert one-way traffic on MLK Dr. and N. Davis Highway to two-way
Neighbors want to see the traffic flow directed to the Davis Highway exit/entrance and limit traffic to the one on E. Johnson Avenue.
“It’s going to be more traffic, it’s going to be worse delays,” Ward said. “We’ll probably never be able to get to Davis Highway during certain time periods. There’s always activity as far as emergency vehicles go because there’s a fire station across from that entrance. They should be dumping these people on Davis and not on Johnson.”
What Escambia County says about Wawa’s plans
Ward says he has reached out to the county for answers about his concerns, but the responses aren’t satisfactory.
He said county staff told him the trucks will be temporary and gone when construction is finished and that Wawa’s plans have been reviewed and approved.
Wawa has scheduled a ribbon-cutting on Sept. 18 to celebrate the opening of the new business.
Escambia County District 4 Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger represents the area where the Wawa is being built. She said she has spoken to Ward and says there are no issues with Wawa’s plans.
First Pensacola Wawa: Wawa opens its 1st Pensacola store, and fans old and new say it was worth the wait
“They went through the planning process; they went through the zoning process. They went through the development review committee,” Hofberger said. “Mr. Ward just doesn’t think that things are built properly because he has a background in development, and I can respect that. But I also respect our team and the professionals that we’ve hired, and I’ve looked over everything, and they did their job.”
Neighbors say the commercial development doesn’t properly consider how close it is to the residential area and traffic jams could hinder emergency vehicles coming in and out of the area.
Hofberger said the new Wawa meets the zoning requirements for that location and that the Fire Marshal reviewed their plans for safety and access as far as emergency vehicles and saw no issues.
“Where I understand that he thinks it’s a burden for this area, there are lots of people who think it’s an amenity,” Hofberger said.
Ward and other neighbors worry that the way plans stand now will impact their quality of life in what has traditionally been a quiet, peaceful neighborhood.
They plan to take their concerns to the Escambia Board of County Commissioners at their next meeting on Sept. 4 at 221 Palafox Place.
They intend to speak during public forum which begins at 4:30 p.m. The regular meeting starts at 5:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Wawa on N. Davis Highway problem for some neighbors in Ferry Pass