Politics & Government
Bridgewater Planning Board Agrees With Rezoning Of Crate & Barrel Store
The Bridgewater Township Council is looking to change the use of the Crate & Barrel to allow medical uses following its closure.
BRIDGEWATER, NJ — With just one month left before Crate & Barrel closes its doors on its Bridgewater location for good, the township planning board recently agreed with the council's ordinance to rezone the property for medical use.
Crate & Barrel will be closing their location at the end of the year and the Bridgewater Commons management requested the rezoning change to the township.
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"Right now as everyone knows retail certainly has its own set of issues and challenges with the economy," said Mayor Matthew Moench during the Nov. 23 planning board meeting.
Moench noted the mall management "immensely" supports the decision to rezone the property for medical use as Summit Medical Group(SMG) is interested in the property.
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"Originally [the mall management] wanted the whole area to be medical but I didn't want it to be a domino effect. I didn't want it to be all medical. I wanted to keep retail," said Moench.
The proposed SMG facility would typically be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and include doctor's offices, advanced imaging, orthopedics, physical therapy, laboratory services, pain management, primary care and other medical specialties.
No changes are proposed to the exterior of the building aside from frosting of ground-level windows, signage and entry doors. Existing parking is believed to be sufficient for the new use.
This new use is believed to bring in new patients and employees that can then patronize the existing retail stores and restaurants in The Village.
"It is inconsistent with the master plan but consistent with the goals and objectives of the plan," said Planning Board Chair Alan Fross.
The planning board voted unanimously to approve a recommendation for the council to adopt the ordinance at its next meeting on Dec. 6.
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