By Sunayana Prabhu
EATONTOWN – What looks like a large hole in the center of Monmouth Mall right now will soon be the gateway to an outdoor promenade surrounded by small retail stores, residences and parks – for both people and dogs.
Construction is currently underway on Monmouth Square, the complete redevelopment of the nearly 60-year-old Monmouth Mall by property owner and real estate developer Kushner Companies.
Nearly 915,000 square feet of new retail, entertainment and commercial-use space has been proposed at Monmouth Square. Apartment units are also planned at the back of the mall and along Wyckoff Road, in addition to a grocery store that “is a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s-size retailer” that will occupy the former Barnes & Noble space; the bookseller will move to the backside of the AMC theater in a new retail building, said Kyle DeGroot, senior planner with the Monmouth County Division of Planning, at the county’s planning board meeting Feb. 20.
“The developer has proposed to reimagine and adapt the Monmouth Mall into a new lifestyle center,” DeGroot said. In addition to 1,000 multifamily units, Monmouth Square will feature medical, retail and entertainment uses, as well as an outdoor promenade, clubhouse and dog park. The retail area’s layout is similar to a 1960s-style open mall.
Monmouth County Commissioner Deputy Director Ross Licitra, who also serves on the county’s planning board, attended the meeting and said he is “excited” about the area opening a new recreational hub and bringing back the 1960s’ aesthetic of open-area shopping centers.
Born and raised in Monmouth County, Licitra said he “grew up at the mall when it was an open-air mall” and now seeing it “revert back to an open-air type of atmosphere,” he said, will “bring it back to the days of the early-to-mid-’60s.”
Additionally, the economic impact of the project on Eatontown, West Long Branch and the surrounding area “is going to be huge, because right now the mall is dead,” Licitra said. “I’m excited for all the new things that come with it for Eatontown.”
Demolition of the center of the mall, where the outdoor promenade and smaller retail stores are planned, is currently underway. AMC Theatres, Macy’s and Boscov’s will remain open during the renovation.
According to Victor Furmanec, supervising planner for the Monmouth County Division of Planning, the project contributed to a “large spike in mixed-use” development in the county in the last quarter. Furmanec presented the Fourth Quarter Monmouth County Development Review Activity Report at the planning board meeting.
Monmouth Mall was a classic two-level enclosed shopping center that served area residents for almost 60 years. Located less than a mile from Exit 105 of the Garden State Parkway, the space offered a vibrant mix of shopping, entertainment and dining options for the entire family for decades. However, in the past several years, business plummeted for many reasons, including the growth of online shopping and the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the main anchors of the mall shuttered – Lord & Taylor in 2018 and Ruby Tuesday restaurant in 2020; in 2022, JCPenney announced it was closing its brick-and-mortar stores, opting for an online marketspace. Last year the TGI Fridays restaurant, a satellite property on the mall’s premises, closed.
While it is exit time for the old Monmouth Mall, residents who’ve grown with it over the years have fond memories. Monmouth Mall Memories, a Facebook group created by Charlie Leonard, is dedicated to documenting the history of Monmouth Mall based on the collective memories of the community. The group currently has over 11,000 active members. Some residents have shared excitement for what’s to come, while others reminisce about a bygone era.
Bill Cole shared a “throw-back 1987” photograph of himself on the page wearing a “Union Bay crewneck from Macy’s, Generra pants from Abraham & Straus, Reebok Hi-Tops from Foot- locker; haircut by Hair Sense,” all from Monmouth Mall. “No need to lecture me on where I should spend my hard-earned bread – I’ve been a Monmouth Mall loyalist since 1986,” Cole said.
“I remember those days!” shared Abby Garced Blassingill in a post. “Such great memories. Shopping at Monmouth Mall was always an amazing event.”
In a post noting the latest construction updates, Leonard said, “The end is near, but the beginning is even closer.”
The article originally appeared in the March 7 –March 13, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
