Indianapolis, IN
East side Wawa rejected under transit-friendly Indianapolis laws, but fight could continue
Proposed Indianapolis Wawa could be blocked for being too car-centric
The convenience store chain Wawa’s expansion into Indiana has hit a snag because of a store design that the city deems too car-centric.
Indianapolis laws that promote dense, walkable development along the city’s three bus rapid transit routes survived their latest test against a formidable opponent: Wawa.
The beloved Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain has been wrangling with the city for months to continue its recent expansion into Indiana with a new store on East Washington Street near Shadeland Avenue. The Metropolitan Development Commission hearing examiner on Oct. 23 sided with city planning staff, who objected to Wawa’s plans to build a car-centric site in the corridor where IndyGo’s Blue Line bus route will open in 2028.
City planners and east side neighbors criticized Wawa’s plans to build more than 60 parking spaces and a dozen gas pumps, saying they would only add to the unsightly sprawl that dominates East Washington today. Planning staff pushed Wawa to follow transit-oriented development laws the city passed in 2021 to limit the number of gas pumps and parking spaces allowed within 1,000 feet of BRT routes.
“It’s my opinion that the standards of (transit-oriented development) do need to be upheld, so for that reason I am going to recommend denial,” Hearing Examiner Judy Weerts Hall said Thursday afternoon.
Wawa supporters argue that it’s absurd to turn away a renowned company at a site that’s currently an underused parking lot. The company sought to build a gas station and convenience store at 7140 and 7142 E. Washington St., next door to the Get Fit Athletic Club and an auto shop.
Wawa has a week to appeal the hearing examiner’s ruling before a vote by the full MDC on Nov. 19. Barnes & Thornburg attorney Joseph Calderon, who is representing Wawa, said his client has not decided whether to file an appeal.
Why transit-oriented development turned away Wawa
Indy’s transit-oriented development laws discourage buildings with spacious parking lots set back far from the road, like gas stations and chain restaurants, and require that storefronts be closer to the street with plenty of windows. Gas stations are generally banned within 600 feet of a bus rapid transit stop.
The proposed Wawa store would sit about 1,000 feet from the Sadlier Drive Blue Line station, so it could have been built with certain restrictions. But Wawa refused to meet the city’s demands to build only eight gas pumps and half the number of parking spaces. Wawa representative Patrick Moon said those demands were not “financially viable.”
Wawa critics say the Indianapolis City-County Council enacted the transit laws to keep a promise to Marion County voters, who approved a higher income tax for themselves in 2016 because they wanted fast, reliable public transit that passes close by their homes. Allowing developers to bypass those standards now would undermine the voters, they say.
“We need more housing density and mixed-use development, and all this gas station is is more of the same kind of development that has been bankrupting and blighting the area,” said east side resident Jakob Morales, a Central Indiana Cycling advocate who opposed Wawa during the hearing. “It does not contribute to (solving) the housing and homelessness crisis.”
City-County Councilor Andy Nielsen, who represents that strip of East Washington Street, also spoke in opposition to the Wawa. While acknowledging that Wawa is a quality company with popular hoagies and specialty drinks, “at the end of the day it’s another fueling station,” he said.
Nielsen’s east side constituents oppose that because there are already about two dozen gas stations within a two-mile radius of the site, according to city staff. Other groups who filed opposition letters to Wawa included IndyGo, the Irvington Community Council and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The case in favor of Wawa
Wawa supporters said it’s unrealistic to hope that strict development laws will spur more investment along East Washington Street. The proposed Wawa site sits between a cloverleaf interchange and Interstate 465, an area replete with huge parking lots that holds little appeal for pedestrians.
Calderon noted that an average of 21,000 vehicles drive down that section of Washington Street each day, according to state traffic data. Daily IndyGo ridership on Route 8, which travels the same path, pales in comparison. He said that disparity shows a clear demand for a gas station and convenience store concept — not walkable development.
“This is a suburban area that happens to be planned to be served by bus rapid transit. Fantastic. We are not trying to fight that, we’re not arguing with it. We want to serve those customers,” Calderon said. “But here’s the deal: No matter what anyone says about this degrading the Blue Line, it does not.”
Ron Phillips, president of the Warren Township Development Association, supported the Wawa because he expected the store to bring 24-30 good jobs in an area where business investment has lagged for the past four decades. Wawa is known to pay for continuing education for its employees, Phillips added.
Despite the setback, Wawa has already opened eight locations in Indiana this year, with plans to build up to 60 statewide.
Wawa’s lone Indianapolis location, on 96th Street near Keystone Avenue, opened this summer. New Central Indiana locations include those in Cumberland, Brownsburg, Plainfield and Westfield.
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09
Indianapolis, IN
Unsettled Friday and Saturday, then summer heat returns early next week | July 10, 2026
TODAY
Partly sunny and warm with scattered showers and thunderstorms likely through much of the bookends of the day. Highs reach the mid 80s, with a west southwest breeze around 5 mph. It does not look like nonstop rain from start to finish, but this is the least reliable daytime period in the forecast, and any stronger storm could drop a quick heavy downpour with a gusty burst of wind.
TONIGHT
Scattered showers and thunderstorms remain possible through the evening, then another lower-end storm chance lingers late overnight. Lows settle near the upper 60s, with light wind. The severe risk looks lower than it is Thursday night, but a few pockets of heavier rain are still possible if a boundary stalls close enough to central Indiana.
TOMORROW
Mostly cloudy and not quite as hot, with another chance for showers and thunderstorms developing mainly after mid afternoon. Highs reach the low to mid 80s, with a light northeast breeze around 5 mph. Much of the first half of the day should be usable, but later afternoon and evening plans will still need a weather eye.
TOMORROW NIGHT
A few showers and thunderstorms may linger early, then the trend turns quieter with mostly cloudy skies overnight. Lows fall to the upper 60s, with an east northeast breeze around 5 mph. It is a calmer setup than Friday night overall, even if an early interruption is still possible.
SUNDAY
Mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the mid 80s. An east breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the day from feeling too stagnant, and this looks like one of the cleaner forecast days of the stretch. Most of central Indiana should stay dry from start to finish.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear and seasonably mild, with lows around the mid 60s and a light east northeast breeze. Quiet weather continues overnight with no meaningful travel concerns.
MONDAY
Sunny and hotter, with highs climbing into the upper 80s. A light east wind around 5 mph holds through the day. After the unsettled end of the workweek, this looks like a very usable summer day with heat becoming the main story instead of storms.
MONDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear and warm, with lows near 70 and only a light breeze. There will be little trouble overnight, and the warmer pattern settles in more firmly.
TUESDAY
Sunny and hot again, with highs near 90. Wind stays light, becoming east southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. This is another day where the weather looks broadly quiet, with heat the main thing to plan around.
7 DAY FORECAST
The main concern in the near term is the unsettled Friday into Saturday period, when repeated rounds of showers and thunderstorms could bring quick heavy rain, especially Friday afternoon and evening. After that, the pattern trends warmer and drier from Sunday into at least Tuesday, with highs returning to the upper 80s and lower 90s while heat index values stay more manageable than the late-June heat. By Wednesday and Thursday, isolated afternoon and evening storms begin to creep back into the forecast, with a more noticeable thunderstorm threat showing up later next week into next weekend.
Indianapolis, IN
Indiana Workforce Pell Grant options limited so far
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Education leaders on Thursday said waiting for rulemaking limited the number of programs approved for a new grant program, but they expect more approvals soon.
Created as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed last year, the Workforce Pell Grant program allows students to use Pell Grants for short-term, direct-to-workforce training programs. The program began on July 1. Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana and Vincennes University, which are Indiana’s two two-year vocational and technical institutions, are the only institutions in the state authorized for the program so far, though state officials have said they’ll consider expanding it to other institutions depending on the results of the first year.
So far, state education officials have approved three programs for Workforce Pell Grants: certified clinical medical assistant programs at Ivy Tech and Vincennes, plus an electrical maintenance technician bootcamp Vincennes offers. Final approval must come from the federal government, which has not yet green-lit any of those programs.
Molly Dodge, Ivy Tech’s senior vice president for workforce and careers, said Ivy Tech leaders needed to make sure they thoroughly understood the requirements they would face. To be eligible, a program must have at least a 70% completion rate and a 70% job placement rate. It also must lead directly to a job in a high-growth, high-demand job sector. Dodge said the rules were finalized this spring. After that, she said Ivy Tech leaders began going through each of their courses to see which ones would be eligible.
“Workforce Pell has a significant requirement related to job placement and wages, and so we need to backward design from an employer, in many cases, to make sure that we’re successful in launching these Workforce Pell programs,” she said.
Tony Hahn, Vincennes University’s vice president for government and legal affairs, said July 1 was the earliest under federal statute the program could begin. In practice, he said the rollout will take some time because programs must be offered for one year in exactly the same format before they become eligible for the Workforce Pell Grant.
“These are often programs that we have offered through Next Level Jobs programs and other Department of Workforce Development funding, but didn’t have the exact same requirements on number of classroom hours or number of total weeks offered,” he said. “And so, we made some modifications and we’ll be able to expand this list.”
Both Dodge and Hahn said leaders at their respective institutions are reviewing their course catalogs for other potentially eligible programs. They said they expect to add approved programs in the coming months.
Dodge said Workforce Pell-eligible programs are often designed with the expectation that you will go to work with a partner employer upon completion of the program, but that doesn’t mean education ends there. She said Workforce Pell Grant programs are stackable and can be pursued as part of a longer-term higher education strategy. Students can qualify for both traditional Pell Grants and Workforce Pell Grants, though not at the same time.
Hahn said prospective students won’t be able to apply for Workforce Pell Grants until this fall or next spring. If you’re interested, he said you should fill out a federal student financial aid form. He said Vincennes University leaders expect to add information about eligible programs to their application website once approved.
Indianapolis, IN
Man dies after car crashes into pole on near NW side
INDIANAPOLIS – A man died in a crash on the near northwest side of Indianapolis.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were dispatched to 505 W. 16th St. around 4:15 a.m. Thursday.
There, officers discovered a vehicle had crashed into a utility pole. The driver was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.
The incident remains under investigation.
-
Technology11 minutes agoI spent a week using the Trump phone — it sucks
-
World14 minutes agoWith US unleashing attacks, Iranian official threatens that the Islamic Republic will deliver a ‘hard slap’
-
Politics19 minutes agoWATCH: Trump’s Energy chief reveals what escalating Iran tensions could mean for gas prices
-
Health26 minutes agoCoffee may have powerful effect on liver health, major study suggests
-
Sports29 minutes agoOba Femi vs Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam is a ‘generational matchup,’ WWE legend JBL says
-
Business41 minutes agoBillionaire exodus? California drew 10 times more venture capital than any other state this year
-
Entertainment44 minutes agoDisney Channel maximalism to pop-star glam: What fans wore to Hilary Duff’s L.A. show
-
Lifestyle49 minutes agoL.A. Affairs: It’s hot when a man drives to me. But would this new guy make the trek from the Valley?