Jason Futch
reporter2.riverbendnews@gmail.com
As the landscape of U.S. Highway 129 North in Live Oak sees a dramatic increase in businesses coming into the city, residents are anticipating one of the newest additions planned: Wawa. But the question remains: when will it open?
The Wawa chain of convenience stores has been a popular place for locals and travelers to stop for refreshments and fuel along the East Coast. The announcement made last year that Wawa was coming to Live Oak was met with excitement from locals.
However, the wait, which was anticipated to go until the summer of 2025, is now at a standstill. According to Planning and Zoning Director George Curtis, there is currently no timeline on when the convenience store will open, as they are waiting on action from Wawa to submit architecture plans. “Wawa has not sent the plans or additional documents to us yet, which is holding up the process,” Curtis said.
While he said that Wawa had not submitted the architectural plans yet, Curtis confirmed that they had submitted their layout plans, which include details of the parking lot, building and fuel island. Despite this, without the architectural plans, the building cannot proceed. However, Curtis remains optimistic that Wawa will soon be open in Suwannee County.
Although the wait for Wawa continues, Curtis said that the area near the planned Wawa site is growing at an increasingly high rate. Plans are underway to open Chik-fil-A, Ellianos, Tidal Wave Car Wash and Express Oil Change in the vicinity. Curtis also noted the fast pace at which Chik-fil-A was moving along.
“It is under construction,” Curtis said. “They have already submitted their plans and have been issued building permits.”
Following up on the information regarding Chik-fil-A, Live Oak Building Official Tony Marrillia said that things are looking toward a summer opening. “Chik-fil-A is on a construction schedule which would have the facility turned over the first week of July with a projected opening on or around July 14,” Marrillia said. “At this point, nothing shows me they shouldn't be able to achieve their target dates.”
Riverbend News will continue to follow up on Wawa's progress as it makes efforts to serve the community, as well as continuing coverage of Chik-fil-A’s opening.