Maplewood's second 7-Eleven comes to town on Jan. 14 with an official grand opening celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mayor Vic DeLuca will be on hand to cut the ribbon at noon, and franchise owners Ray and Devan Ghetia are offering free lunch to the public, plus face painting, a prize wheel and a DJ.

Those lining up for the free lunch will enjoy sandwiches, pizza, hot dogs, coffee, taquitos, chicken wings, Gulp sodas and — of course — Slurpees.

The grand opening was lauded by the mayor as positive news for Springfield Avenue's economic development during his 2012 State of the Township address. The opening follows some controversy during site plan approval of the franchise, when residents questioned whether or not a 7-Eleven would attract too much traffic, litter and crime. However, the town and the property owners worked toward an agreement when the property owners brought a lawsuit against the town. Ultimately, no variances were required for the approval by the Planning Board when the property owners agreed to work with the original building's footprint.

The franchise owners have previously stated that the store will be open 24 hours a day. The Township Committee briefly considered a ban on 24-hour operations in 2009, but the proposed ordinance was defeated by a vote of 3-2.

This 7-Eleven is the second to open in Maplewood in less than two years. In July 2010, a newly constructed 7-Eleven opened at Parker Avenue and Irvington Avenue. The site plan for a 7-Eleven proposed for Parker Avenue and Valley Street was approved in 2011, but the chain decided not to open at the location because the approval — which necessitated a conditional use variance — did not allow for a 24-hour operation in conjunction with service station hours.