Brick Foodtown Site Plan Clears DOT Traffic Study Hurdle, Mayor Says

BRICK, NJ — Plans to redevelop the former Foodtown site received a critical boost this week after the state Department of Transportation gave its approval regarding traffic impact of the plans.

Mayor John Ducey announced the township had received a letter of no interest from the DOT regarding the project, which he said was one of the biggest hurdles facing the project.

In May, the township announced a settlement with M&M at Route 70 LLC, the company that was approved as the redeveloper in 2009 that resolved a long-running dispute between M&M and the town over how the site would be developed.

In that May agreement, M&M at Route 70 and HFZ Brick LLC agreed to pay $2.5 million each to purchase the site from the township to develop the site. M&M's portion of the site, the front of the property, will include three retail pads. The rear of the property will be an indoor recreation center by HFZ Brick.

Pete Tosca of HFZ Capital, who oversees the company's recreation centers in Upper Saddle River and in Waldwick, said at the May council meeting where the agreement was approved that the center would include indoor fields for soccer, lacrosse, and other sports, as well as basketball courts, a yoga studio, areas for physical therapy and more.

He said the company plans to seek input from residents on what they would like to see.

A traffic engineering report, which Ducey said was paid for by M&M at Route 70 and HFZ Brick, concluded the impact of the proposed uses would be less than the traffic than would have been generated by Bradlees and Foodtown — the stores that formerly occupied the site — if they were still operating today.

Town officials said the DOT process could have taken as much as 18 to 24 months, so the response so soon is excellent news, Ducey said. The DOT's "no interest" letter means work can move forward, with the two developers submitting a plan for the site for Coastal Area Facilities Review Act approval.

The most important thing, Ducey has said, is that no residential units will be built on the site — that was the issue that led to the standoff between the township and M&M in the first place.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the developers paid for the traffic study, not the town. The Patch regrets the error.

Patch file photo