From the WaWa, Inc Corporate Website:

Good Neighbors
Among the founding principles of Wawa, one clearly stands out: our ongoing commitment to the communities where we do business. Our company and our associates continuously seek out opportunities to make us the best neighbor we can be. This is evidenced by corporate and regional efforts, and through our associates who make our "good neighbor" philosophy alive and well in all of our business communities. Like everyone else, our support is limited, but we do offer a variety of programs to our neighbors and communities.

Well, as many of you know, it is much easier to "talk the talk"…..

At the August 5th meeting of the Carroll's Addition Neighborhood Association, we were informed by WaWa's legal counsel that our request for a negotiated solution to this community's concerns over traffic, lighting, and landscaping issues was rejected by the corporate heads of WaWa. The general consensus of the group was that while we believed WaWa's reaction to be shortsighted and unfortunate, our true ire should be directed towards the Town of Easton which failed to properly discharge its duty of oversight on this project.

If left uncorrected, the current WaWa site plan will encourage WaWa's 24-hour shoppers to utilize two new full-movement entrances along Choptank Avenue at the head of South Street. Five houses will be demolished to create direct access to WaWa through our community's wide pedestrian streets. Our town staff devised the new traffic pattern in an effort to mitigate "stacking" on Dover Street. Their recommendation will negatively affect the safety and quality of live in our Carroll's Addition neighborhood. Gas-pump lighting, loudspeakers, and faster, heavier traffic will forever change our quiet traditional neighborhood to an urban one.

The Town of Easton's Planning and Zoning ordinance clearly identifies the goals of their process as it relates to protecting its neighborhoods. In this case, a technicality in its zoning ordinance enabled the town to change the zoning under five homes in our community to Route 50-style commercial without community input or notification. Sometimes the letter of the law and the spirit of protecting the public safety are at odds. Our town has opted to accommodate our new neighbor Wawa at the expense and peril of our established neighborhood.

From the Town of Easton Website:

SECTION 103 STATEMENT OF LEGISLATIVE INTENT

A. These regulations are adopted with the intent that they will implement the policies of the Comprehensive Plan; will control congestion in the streets; will secure the public safety; will promote health and the general welfare; will provide adequate light and air; will promote the conservation of natural resources; will prevent undue concentration of population; and will facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, water, sewerage, schools, recreation, soil conservation, landscaping, parks, and other public facilities and services.

SECTION 806 SITE PLAN REQUIRMENTS
806.2.F. Where the submission of a site plan for a proposed use or development activity is required under this section, the site plan shall not be approved unless:

806.2.F.(3) the proposed use or development activity will not substantially increase traffic hazards due to traffic generated by the proposed use, the location of curb cuts or the layout of internal traffic circulation;

806.2.F.(4) the site plan and the proposed use or uses do not cause any adverse impact upon the health or safety of persons residing or working in the area surrounding the site or upon the character of the neighborhood surrounding the site;

806.2. Any site plan which does not satisfy the above stated requirements can and shall be denied by the Planning Commission or the Town Planner.

Obviously, the Town has dropped the ball on this one and should be brought to task for its negligence.

Therefore, we the undersigned, request the following of all parties involved:

To WaWa, Inc: Revisit our request to amend your site plan to truly comply with the corporate philosophy so vividly depicted on your website. The goodwill create by this simple act will far outweigh the inconvenience and minor expense associated with creating a neighborhood-friendly outcome. In case we need to remind you, WaWa executives, the following was taken directly from your corporate website:

Our Core Values...
Value People
Delight Customers
Embrace Change
Do the Right Thing
Do Things Right
Passion for Winning

In an era wherein the Wal-Marts and Enrons of the world have eroded public confidence by saying one thing and doing another, show us these Core Values do, in fact, have meaning now that you have been given the opportunity to do so.

To the Town of Easton: Work with us to correct the hopefully, unintentional errors committed as a result of the approval of the WaWa site plan. In particular,

* The lack of foresight on the part of the Planning and Engineering staff, whom we pay with our tax dollars to protect us from a thoughtless design such as this one,

* The lack of effective notice given to our community regarding the WaWa plan,

* And the lack of regard for the impacts one business can have on the 265 households of Carroll's Addition.

We sincerely hope that it is not too late to undo the looming, irreparable damage the WaWa site plan will create to one of Easton's established traditional neighborhoods.

PLEASE ALSO REFER TO OUR HOMEPAGE FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND A TIMELINE OF EVENTS

If you would like to become a member of the Carroll's Addition Community Association, please email us and include your Name, Address, E-Mail address and phone number, and we will add you to our list!

*AS OF OCT 9, 2005 we have obtained over 275+ signatures in support of our requests to both Wawa, Inc and The Town of Easton, Maryland

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