Stop & Shop Coming for Millburn Approval?

Springfield approved the Stop & Shop project at the former Saks Fifth Avenue building on Millburn Avenue after court proceedings. Now it appears county officials have also given its approval for access onto Millburn Avenue, which is a county road.

But the application would still need to come before the Millburn Zoning Board of Adjustment, and nothing has yet to be filed at Town Hall. Any application filed now, however, would not go to a public hearing until next year. Millburn officials also have yet to hear from Royal Ahold, which owns Stop & Shop and the property.

Millburn zoning approval is necessary because an ordinance requires it if a project increases traffic by 10 percent of the proceeding use for the property.

Officials at Town Hall were recently alerted about the county approval to allow the business to have a driveway on the Essex County road. Essex County officials could not be reached for comment immediately.

Stop & Shop officials have not responded to several requests for information.

Residents and Millburn Avenue business owners have speculated for months about the pending application. Several months ago, the Short Hills business owners said how Stop & Shop coming to that area of town would help their stores.