Trader Joe's, Luxury Apartments Could Go On Route 23 Site

WAYNE, N.J. — The mixed-use retail and luxury residential development on Route 23 South could contain a Trader Joe's grocery store and will have high-end rental units, the owner of the 10-acre property said at a Board of Adjustment meeting Monday night.

The owner of the property, Galreh LLC, is developing the property after unsuccessfully trying to market it to various businesses since 2008. The property, at 1895 Route 23, is on the southbound side of the highway, a side that many retailers, including Whole Foods, Wegman's, CVS, and ShopRite, said is not business-friendly, except to coffee and bagels shops due to the number of commuters traveling on that side of the highway versus the northbound side.

Wayne Lincoln Mercury, located across from the property, stores vehicles there. The owner also said sales representatives and employees of the Wayne Hyundai dealership, located next door, routinely park on Court Lane and use the street as their "own personal parking lot." Wayne Hyundai's owner tried to purchase the property from Galreh.

The property borders Sandra Lane, the Pompton River, and Pequannock Township. Representatives from Galreh met three times with residents from that neighborhood to discuss the project and get their input. Galreh did not move forward with the application until they agreed to install enhanced buffers on the property. The residents also agreed that a mixed-use application would be better than one with a large permanent business.

Galreh has designed the 12,800-square-foot retail space with Trader Joe's in mind. After 18 to 24 months of talking with Galreh, WholeFoods said there are not enough "college-educated" people in Wayne to have a store there. Wegman's said the infrastructure would be too expensive. ShopRite, which already has a Wayne store on Hamburg Turnpike, pulled out of consideration after a traffic study showed the south side of the highway "wasn't viable," according to the owner.

Of the 232 luxury apartments, 112 would be one-bedroom and 116 would be two-bedrooms. Approximately 23 would be affordably-priced and four would be studio units.

A number of restaurants have approached Galreh about leasing space on the property, but a potential tenant was not mentioned at the meeting. Galreh's owner said Trader Joe's, which already has a store in Wayne, contacted his company about going to the site.

Some parents said they were concerned about a possible increase in student populations to Wayne schools should the application be approved.

The matter was carried to the board's Sept. 6 meeting.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com