Redevelopment of Foodtown Site Hinges on State Approvals, Economy

The pace of redevelopment of the former Foodtown shopping center on Route 70 hinges on state approvals and the economy, township officials told Brick Patch this week.

The former supermarket was demolished in September 2009 by a developer who signed an agreement with township officials in July 2010 to redevelop the lot. Aside from the demolition, there has been no action at the site since 2003, when the township purchased the plot of land, once home to the aforementioned Foodtown, as well as a Bradlees store.

Now, eight months after the township signed an agreement with M&M Realty Partners to redevelop the site, township Business Administrator Scott Pezarras said the owner of M&M is drawing up proposals to the state Department of Transportation and the Department of Environmental Protection to see what the company can build there. Neither of the proposals have been submitted to the two agencies; the preliminary plans are still being designed, Pezarras said.

“Until he gets those two decisions made, he really can't say what he's going to build there or what kind of tenants he can pursue,” said Pezarras.

The site presents two issues to the redeveloper, Pezarras said. First, its proximity to Route 70 – a state highway – and the former Laurelton Circle could present issues with the Department of Transportation. Second, its location feet away from the Metedeconk River means the lot is covered under the state’s Coastal Area Facilities Review Act, or CAFRA, which means environmental approvals must be granted before anything can be built there.

“You can't force people to build something if they don't know if they can build it or not,” said Pezarras.

Pezarras admitted, however, that township officials are growing impatient over the lack of progress at the site.

“If he doesn't step up the timeline, we're going to ask whether it's still a viable project in our eyes,” Pezarras said.

Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis echoed Pezarras’ take on the situation.

“We're hoping something starts on the ground there by the end of the year,” Acropolis said. Still, the economy is an important factor in the matter.

“If this was 10 years ago when people were knocking down the door to build, I'm sure it'd be going a little quicker,” said Acropolis.

Pezarras said that when the township first began pursuing a redevelopment agreement, officials agreed to loan money – with premium interest rates – to the redeveloper in order to spur construction at the site. The former Foodtown building was then demolished at no cost to taxpayers, Pezarras said.

With companies scaling back, rather than expanding, their operations, finding suitable tenants could be an issue. Initial plans to have a hotel and banquet facility built at the site appear less likely in the current economic climate, Pezarras said. Still, officials always envisioned some retail space at the site, and both Acropolis and Pezarras said the preference of the township’s administration would be to have an upscale supermarket chain open a store in Brick.

“We would love to see a Whole Foods or something like that here,” said Acropolis.

An upscale supermarket would be “desirable,” said Pezarras.

For now, the site will remain an empty lot until the state has its say and, perhaps, the economy improves.

An engineer is currently working on putting proposals in to state agencies, Pezarras said. It normally takes about 12 to 18 months for such plans to be approved once submitted, he said.