Rumors are flying about major chains coming to the area south of Lexington and at least one of them is true.
Wawa, the convenience store station that’s so much more than gas, is planning on building a location at 3013 Lexington Rd. in Nicholasville, also known as U.S. 27. At an April 24 meeting, the planning commission approved plans for a Wawa convenience store at the corner of Lexington Road and Vince Road, near Catnip Hill Road and just down the road from the popular Brannon Crossing shopping center.
It’s the first publicly confirmed location for Wawa in Central Kentucky. In April, Wawa also submitted plans for a zone change request for a location in Louisville, according to published reports.
The popular Pennsylvania-based company announced in December 2022 that it plans to launch new stores in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. But no specifics have been released for Kentucky; Wawa said the launches will take place “sometime after 2025 with estimated timeframes and ranges for number of stores by state to be announced in 2023.”
Fans of the chain’s hoagies, fresh coffee and Sizzli breakfast sandwiches hailed the announcement and have been waiting for more news.
In June, Wawa media relations was still being coy, saying via email, “We can’t confirm specific locations or timelines at this stage in the process.”
“We can, however, say that we are actively looking into potential sites for new Wawa stores in Lexington and surrounding markets that will open in 2025,” said Lori Bruce, spokeswoman for Wawa. “It’s too soon in the process to confirm locations or timelines, but we look forward to sharing more information on our growth plans for region later this year, as plans take shape. We are planning a series of updates and events to take place as early as late summer/early fall.”
So it may be a year or two before Sizzli fans can indulge their cravings locally.
But Nicholasville Mayor Alex Carter is thrilled: “Everybody is excited to see Wawa come to Nicholasville.”
Plans for the Wawa location come as Nicholasville in late June annexed property along U.S. 27, known as Nicholasville/Lexington Road, all the way to the Fayette County line.
In June, the city gave final approval for plans by Fuqua Developers to build a shopping center and apartment complex on part of what is known as the Stonedale property on the north west corner opposite Brannon Crossing shopping center.
The 13-building apartment complex, which will have more than 360 apartments or townhouses, will be across a new street from a major shopping center that will have seven restaurants (likely including a Chick-fil-A), stores, a hotel and a big grocery store.
Neither Publix or Nicholasville officials will speak on the record on whether or not the store will be a Publix although that has been rumored to be the case since the original plans were filed in April 2022.
“What we have been told currently is there is 49,000 square-foot grocery that is not in this region right now,” said Carter. “That’s all we can divulge publicly. That’s all we can say.”
But the developer, Fuqua Development, is also building a new 25-acre shopping center in Lexington on Citation Boulevard near the University of Kentucky’s Coldstream Research Campus that will have a Publix grocery store, the second one the Florida-based chain has confirmed for the city.
A representative for Atlanta-based Fuqua told the Nicholasville planning commission in April that she “had the opportunity to follow one of our favorite tenants to Kentucky and this (Brannon) was actually my first choice of a site in this market.”
The Stonedale property that was annexed is about 142 acres from U.S. 27 to railroad tracks, with a major portion that has been under consideration for a new professional soccer stadium.
Mayor Carter said that Lexington Sporting Club has been in negotiations to build behind the shopping center and apartments.
“Lexington Sporting Club is looking at about 32 acres ... on the south west side of that property, adjacent to Brannon Road and the train tracks to the west,” Carter said.
Jessamine County Judge Executive David West said that nothing has been finalized on the possible stadium site. “I don’t think anything’s off the table,” he said.
Lexington Sporting Club also received final approval for a stadium on Athens-Boonesboro Road near Interstate 75 in Fayette County in April. It is currently building youth soccer fields on land adjacent to the proposed stadium.
Lexington Sporting Club officials have not said which location they will choose. Lexington Sporting Club had proposed using tax increment financing or TIF, which uses new taxes from the project to pay for infrastructure, for the Nicholasville location. The group also received $1 million in incentives from the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to build the private youth soccer fields.
“We are still evaluating our options in order to make a final decision on stadium location,” said Vince Gabbert, president of Lexington Sporting Club.
Property further south on U.S. 27 is owned by Menards, a home improvement retailer that has yet to begin construction on a lot purchased before 2020.
The Wisconsin-based chain, known for its low prices, also carries groceries.
Both the mayor and the judge executive confirmed that there have been concerns raised about the traffic, which would increase significantly on an already busy roadway.
“Everybody’s concern is the increased traffic on the Nicholasville/Lexington Road. It’s one of the most heavily traveled corridors in Kentucky other than the interstate system,” Carter said. “But with the added job opportunities and growth it’s a positive. At the end of the day, they estimate over 1,500 jobs at the end of construction, estimated $224 million in capital investment, not including the potential soccer stadium.”
He said that they are hoping the state will budget state transportation funding to widen the highway from Lexington to Nicholasville.
“I think anytime you develop 100+ acres on a busy road, people are going to have concerns,” West said. “There are still people that wish Nicholasville was a small town 12 miles away from Lexington but that’s not the case anymore.”
Herald-Leader sports reporter Cameron Drummond contributed to this report.
Read Next
July 18, 2023 4:31 PM
This story was originally published July 18, 2023, 12:34 PM.
859.534.3500
Service Areas
