Judge Backs Planning Board's Wayne Hills Mall Redevelopment Decision

WAYNE, NJ — A Planning Board decision to demolish the Wayne Hills Mall and redevelop the property with a ShopRite supermarket as an anchor store was upheld by a Passaic County judge, according to a report.

Superior Court Judge Ernest M. Caposela backed the Planning Board's 2016 decision to demolish the long-vacant mall and redevelop the 39-acre property by having ShopRite move into a 65,000-square-foot building and have five smaller retail stores on the property. The Wayne Towne Center was redeveloped in a similar way in recent years. Burlington Coat Factory will remain open.

Stop & Shop, a rival supermarket chain to North Jersey's ShopRite, filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the project, but Caposela said the suit was without merit, according to a NorthJersey.com report. Stop & Shop has 45 days to appeal the decision, the report said.

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Mayor Chris Vergano said in the report that Caposela's decision means the project can begin in a few months.

Mayor Chris Vergano said officials are looking forward to this "long-awaited project being completed. We have worked closely with the property owners over the years in order to finally bring this redevelopment to fruition.”

Town officials have been looking for ways to improve the aging mall, which was built in the 1970s. Attendance began declining in the 1990s and several retailers moved out one by one. Several retailers already exist on the outer part of the property, including Kmart, LA Fitness, and Dunkin’ Donuts. The redevelopment will not affect those retailers.

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