Ciccolini Project Is ‘Alive And Well’ In Nutley, Officials Say

NUTLEY, NJ — A plan is finally shaping up for the property formerly occupied by the Ciccolini Brothers store in Nutley, officials said Thursday.

In June 2021, a roof collapse took place at the Ciccolini building at 537 Franklin Avenue. Nobody was inside at the time.

Since then, many Nutley residents have been inquiring about the future of the property.

Nutley Mayor Joseph Scarpelli spoke about the Ciccolini building at his 2023 state of the township speech earlier this year. Read More: Nutley 'State Of The Township': Development, New Businesses

According to Scarpelli:

“In November [2022], the [Nutley Board of Commissioners] passed a redevelopment plan for the Ciccolini property and the contiguous lots along the west side of Franklin Avenue. The goal of this redevelopment plan is to promote the development of a signature project which would create a focal point/gateway into downtown and to also act as a catalyst for future redevelopment opportunities and the revitalization of Franklin Avenue. The plan features the development of a 5,000 square-foot public plaza with active retail space and a restaurant along the ground floor. It also preserves the historic public parking in the area to support both the new and existing retail and restaurant uses, as well as allowing for shared parking for the new residential space on the upper floors.”

“On December 6, the BOC designated Nutley Town Center Redevelopers, a subsidiary of JMF Properties, as the redeveloper,” Scarpelli continued. “The designation authorizes the board to commence negotiating a redevelopment agreement for the Ciccolini project.”

“The implementation of this plan will create an attractive southern entrance to our downtown that provides open space, a new restaurant with outdoor seating along the new plaza, and a portion of the avenue with new retail that is pedestrian friendly and walkable, while assuring plenty of parking for patrons,” Scarpelli said.

Nutley township officials released an update on the Ciccolini project on Thursday, noting that things are “moving forward” and “alive and well.”

According to the township:

“The Township of Nutley Board of Commissioners are continuing to make progress on the property formerly occupied by the Ciccolini Brothers store on Franklin Avenue. The board passed a redevelopment plan in March for the property and the contiguous lots along the west side of Franklin Avenue … The Board of Commissioners continues to work toward and fine tune the redevelopment plan for the Ciccolini project to ensure compatibility with the surrounding residential neighborhoods.”

“The goal of this redevelopment plan is to promote the development of a signature project which would create a focal point/gateway into downtown and to also act as a catalyst for future redevelopment opportunities,” Mayor Scarpelli explained.

“The plan features an active retail space and a restaurant along the ground floor,” he continued. “A public plaza will be created for events and creates 50 additional parking spaces to support both the existing business, new retail, and restaurant uses. Parking for the new residential space will be accommodated separately.”

“We realize that in order to get it right, we need to be patient and pay great attention to detail,” Scarpelli concluded. “We are more than confident that this project will ultimately greatly enhance our beautiful town for decades to come.”

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