A proposed Super Wawa on the Voorhees and Berlin Township border returns to the Planning Board this week. Forget the coffee for a minute. The real estate question is fascinating: how close do buyers really want to live to commercial development?
South Jersey may be one of the few places where you can start a spirited community discussion simply by saying one word:
Wawa.
And a proposed Super Wawa near Route 73 and Cooper Road, along the Voorhees and Berlin Township border, has generated considerably more discussion than your average convenience store.
The proposed project previously faced opposition involving issues such as traffic and noise. After a Planning Board denial and subsequent litigation, the developer and Voorhees reached a settlement that sends the proposal back to the Planning Board on October 14. Changes under consideration include Cooper Road traffic improvements, landscaping and stormwater measures. Berlin Township previously approved its portion of the project.
But I think there is a much more interesting real estate conversation here.
How close do you actually want to live to shopping and commercial development?
Buyers constantly tell Realtors that they want convenience.
They want restaurants nearby.
They want groceries, coffee, pharmacies and shopping within a short drive.
They want easy access to major roads.
Yet there's an invisible line where convenience can suddenly become too close.
Most buyers may love having a Wawa five minutes away.
Would those same buyers want the lights, cars and activity immediately behind their backyard?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
And that's exactly the point.
Location isn't simply the name of the town printed on the mailing address.
Location can mean whether your backyard faces woods or commercial property.
It can mean whether you're tucked into a quiet neighborhood or positioned close to a major highway.
It can mean walking to restaurants or listening to traffic.
Different buyers value those things very differently.
This becomes particularly important when purchasing a home near vacant or potentially developable land.
A beautiful wooded parcel behind a property may look permanent.
It isn't necessarily permanent.
Before purchasing, buyers should understand what property they are looking at, how it is zoned and whether development may be possible.
The same principle applies to sellers.
Sometimes proximity to commercial development is an advantage.
A buyer may love being able to reach restaurants, shopping or major commuting routes within minutes.
For another buyer, privacy and quiet may be much more important.
A good real estate marketing strategy understands the difference rather than pretending that every feature appeals to everyone.
That is something I've learned repeatedly over more than three decades in real estate:
Almost every real estate feature has a buyer who loves it and another buyer who doesn't.
A swimming pool is a dream to one family and maintenance to another.
A large yard is wonderful to one buyer and Saturday morning yard work to someone else.
Living near shopping can be incredibly convenient, until it's closer than you personally want it to be.
That's why the Super Wawa debate interests me.
It's not really about whether Wawa is good or bad.
It's about one of the oldest rules in real estate:
Where a property sits can be just as important as the property itself.
So I'll turn the question over to you.
Would you rather have your favorite Wawa five minutes away, or would you happily live right around the corner?
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