The neon cowboy hat sign that accompanied the former Arby’s is also planned to be taken down. (Mike Platania photo)
More than three years in the making, work is underway on another West Broad Street Wawa.
The gas station and convenience store chain has begun construction on its new location at 5900 W. Broad St. in Henrico, just west of Willow Lawn.
Wawa has been planning the location since 2019 but work did not kick off until recent weeks with the demolition of the Arby’s restaurant that had stood on the site since the 1960s. Four other small office buildings behind the restaurant were also recently razed.
The 1.9-acre site is owned by a group including local developer Rob Lanphear, who confirmed that Wawa is indeed still headed to the site. Wawa spokespeople weren’t available for comment by press time Monday afternoon.
The Arby’s before its demolition. (BizSense file)
The longtime Arby’s cowboy hat sign fronting West Broad Street survived the early stages of demolition, but Lanphear said that it is also planned to come down. He said they’ve turned the site over to Wawa, and that the Pennsylvania-based chain is handling the restaurant’s demolition and sign’s removal.
Wawa is leasing the site and is planning to build a 6,000-square-foot store and six-pump gas station canopy. It’ll be Wawa’s 33rd location in the Richmond region and fourth along West Broad Street, per its website.
Plans show that the project is being designed by Cuhaci Peterson, an architecture firm based out of Wawa’s home state. Kimley-Horn is listed as the engineer.
Pollard & Bagby’s Tony Rolando represented the landlords in lease negotiations.
Following the closure of Arby’s West Broad location last year, the roast beef-centric chain now has 16 locations in the Richmond region, all of which are operated by local franchisee The Restaurant Co. In addition to the local Arby’s, The Restaurant Co. also used to own Can Can Brasserie in Carytown until its 2020 sale to brothers Paul and John Kincaid.
Meanwhile, less than a mile to the east of the future Wawa, work is a bit further along on the first Shake Shack coming to the Richmond region. Metal framing is now up at 5400 W. Broad St., where the New York-based burger chain is planning to open a location as part of Sauer Properties’ larger redevelopment of the Willow Place shopping center.
