Doo-Wop Wawa Is About to Wow in Wildwood

A new Wawa is on its way to Wildwood, rolling into town with a doo-wop flair. The new Wawa will replace the Rite Aid at 3400 New Jersey Ave. and the pump-free Wawa at 3200 New Jersey Ave.

This new Wawa facility will feature five gas pumps and occupy approximately 1.4 acres within a 6,372-square-foot building.

According to a Cape May County Herald report, the doo-wop features were incorporated into the Wawa's design at the request of city officials. At its March 10 meeting, Wildwood's Planning and Zoning Board of Adjustments passed a resolution approving plans for the new Wawa.

Following the design of a similar Wawa on Rio Grande Avenue, the new Wildwood Wawa on New Jersey Avenue will have an oversized doo-wop-style sign, custom-designed appointments that carry mid-century "atomic" accents, and a color palette reminiscent of Wildwood's mid-century era.

In addition to the convenience store design, the new Wawa will bring gasoline pumps to an area of Wildwood that currently lacks them. The only gas stations on Five Mile Island are near the bridge entrances into Wildwood and North Wildwood.

According to Paul D. Mutch of Stonefield Engineering and Design, the firm selected for the Wawa's construction, the new Wawa has been sited to cause as little interference as possible with the surrounding neighborhood. A 6-foot fence will surround portions of the Wawa property. Extensive landscaping, including 20- to 30-foot-tall northern white cedar trees, will be a privacy barrier. The flanking residential streets, Schellenger and Oak, will feature a 15-foot buffer of greenery.

Wildwood officials did not confirm a construction timeline for the project.