Cult Philadelphia convenience store chain Wawa has been making inroads in the Washington area over the past year, which is good news for the chain’s fans (an exhaustive take on whom can be found here). But officials in the Northern Virginia town of Herndon aren’t as thrilled about the arrival of the chain’s abundant hoagie options.

The Washington Business Journal reports that the city is fighting the construction of a new Wawa in neighboring Loudoun County out of concern that the new convenience store will have too much of a strip-mall vibe. A free-standing Wawa, planners fear, would be setting up a low-density corridor near Herndon right in time for the arrival of the Silver Line.

Since the construction would be in Loudoun County, though, Herndon doesn’t have too much sway over the decision. If a free-standing Wawa is built, though, Herndon would at least like some “cast stone architectural elements,” the Business Journal reports.

Photo by Flickr user Eric Harmatz used under a Creative Commons license