A new Wawa convenience store and gas station is coming to Manatee County, records say
Known for their custom hoagies and cheap gas prices, Wawa has been a Manatee County staple since 2014.
Now the company is expanding with its first Parrish gas station, according to the county’s planning records.
Records show a 5,537-square-foot Wawa is planned for the south corner of the intersection at U.S. 301 and Fort Hamer Road. Construction is scheduled to start Nov. 1 and finish in May 2026 on a 1.88-acre parcel, records say.
There are nine Wawa stores in Manatee County, with another one on the Sarasota County side of University Parkway near Whole Foods.
Wawa was founded in 1803 as an iron foundry, which is a factory that produces metal castings, in New Jersey, according to company history. George Wood, a New Jersey businessman, relocated to Pennsylvania to start a dairy farm toward the end of the 1800s.
Then in 1964, Wood’s grandson Grahame, opened the first Wawa Food Market. Since then, the company has grown to more than 1,000 stores.
According to records, the Wawa planned for Parrish will have 48 parking spaces.
