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The wait is over for those curious what will be built at the former Arrowheads to Aerospace Museum property on Campground Road.

A site plan for Wawa Convenience Store was recently presented to the Manchester Planning Commission at the May 15 meeting.   

Developer Caroline Churchill, Civil Engineer at Kimley-Horn, said she and the property developer Hutton Real Estate Holdings, LLC., are excited to bring one of the first Wawas into the Middle Tennessee market.

Churchill said that the chain is very focused on fresh food preparation, but that the location will also have fuel pumps.

“They have fresh food bars when you walk in. They are known for their hoagies and subs, their fresh coffee and have a variety of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks,” she said.

The location will have an approximately 5,900 square foot building , eight MPDs, 16 fueling stations and will reuse all three access points on Campground Road and Hospitality Boulevard.

Wawa’s corporate public relations team couldn’t confirm the move to Manchester.

“While we can’t confirm specific locations or timelines for construction at this stage in the process, we can say that we are actively looking into potential sites for new Wawa stores that will open sometime after 2025,” Lori Bruce, Wawa’s Sr. Mgr. Media Relations

Bruce added, “We look forward to serving the community with our quality fresh food and beverages and, as always, our deep commitment to the communities in which we operate. As a privately held, family and associate-owned company, we are most excited to share our unique culture and store experience, which has resulted in family-like bonds with our associates, our customers and our communities. As our Wawa family grows into new markets, we will forever treasure the important role we play in fulfilling customers’ lives.”

The location originally sparked interest for a possible Chick-fil-a location, but the property was purchased from the county at auction in December 2022 for $2.5 million. A Chick-fil-a is currently under construction on the Hillsboro Highway in front of Home Depot.      

CARMAX site drives forward

Developers for the CARMAX facility moved closer to breaking ground with the approval of its Manchester Industrial Park location site plan.

The Manchester Planning Commission approved the non-public auction and inventory management site that will include a 7,000 square foot service and auction building, a non-public carwash and fuel tanks.

The Board of Mayor and Alderman approved at the November meeting a purchase and sale agreement with CARMAX Auto Superstores for the sale of 27.86 acres at $15,000 per acre.

CARMAX intends to build a $35M inventory management center in the Manchester Industrial Park, near Great Lakes Cheese that will create 200-235 jobs that range in salary from $40,000-55,000 a year.