Wawa, Chick-Fil-A, Taco Bell Slated For New Freehold Plaza

FREEHOLD, NJ - A new Wawa convenience store set to be part of a new shopping plaza on Route 9 was approved Thursday by the Freehold Township Planning Board.

The retail center, dubbed Freehold Marketplace, will be situated on nearly 15 acres at the corner of Route 9 and Elton-Adelphia Road, according to planning board documents. Tenants are set to include a Wawa with a fuel station, a Taco Bell with a drive-thru lane, a Chick-Fil-A with a drive-thru lane and a Habit Burger restaurant with a patio.

Applicant M&M Realty Partners at Freehold, LLC received preliminary and final major site plan approval in 2018 for the construction of five buildings spanning a total of 40,609 square feet of retail space on the lot.

Construction of the project is expected to start sometime in April, according to the Asbury Park Press. The majority of tenants are seeking to open between September and November this year, the publication reported.

Municipal records show that the project will include:

• A 5,150-square-foot Chick-Fil-A restaurant with drive-thru
• 12,600-square-foot multi-tenant retail center with 7,600-square foot of retail space and 5,000-square feet of restaurant space with 96 seats
• 5,051-square-foot Wawa convenience store with a fuel station
• A 14,724-square-foot retail/pharmacy building with a drive-thru
• 2,084-square-foot Taco Bell restaurant with a drive-thru

According to a February memorandum, the applicant is also seeking the addition of a drive-thru with a canopy at the north end of the 12,600-square-foot retail building to house a 24-seat Habit Burger restaurant.

Neighboring Hazlet is also slated to open a Wawa convenience store in the future, as a Wawa with attached fuel pumps was approved in 2019 at the redeveloped Hazlet Town Center. Construction plan approvals are underway. Read more: Bubbakoo's Burritos Set To Move Into Hazlet Town Center