Newberry’s “gotta have a Wawa” has turned into “gonna have a Wawa” after the City Commission approved final plans for the city’s first site of the popular convenience store and gas station last month.
The 6,372-square-foot convenience store is set for a little over two acres of the Highland Park Planned Development across from the city’s new Publix and will feature 16 fueling stations.
Newberry’s Wawa will be the seventh in Alachua County, with five locations in Gainesville and one in Alachua. Newberry Plaza, LLC, is the store’s owner and Bohler Engineering FL, LLC is the agent overseeing construction, which does not have a start date yet.
“We just approved WAWA!!” Commissioner Rick Coleman posted to Facebook.
The Newberry Wawa has been part of Highland Park’s plans all along. Officials broke ground on the 150,000-square-foot commercial development in June 2024. It will potentially feature other chains such as Culver’s, CVS, Starbuck’s and McDonald’s.
A new traffic signal will be added to the intersection of Newberry Road and Newberry Lane to accommodate the Wawa.
Editor’s note: This story was underwritten by a grant from the Rural Reporting Initiative at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida. To learn more or get