By Allison Perrine
MIDDLETOWN – It looks like Calico the Clown won’t have to make room for a strip mall planned for the Shoppes at Middletown after all.
After a years-long contentious fight to build retail and residential structures as part of a 342,000-square-foot commercial project along Route 35, plans have changed largely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Officials confirmed that the retail component of the project – which would have included a Wegmans, 24-hour fitness center and CMX dine-in movie theater – have been withdrawn by the developer National Realty & Development Corp. The township received notice at the end of July.
The residential component, to be built by Toll Brothers, is expected to continue as planned and will sit behind the shopping center on a plot of land bordered by Kings Highway East and Kanes Lane to the north and south, and a Carriage Lane development and Route 35 to the east and west.
“A lot of it is COVID-related, of course,” said Tony Mercantante, township administrator. “Basically, three of the major tenants of the project had essentially pulled out. Developers of large shopping centers like this usually want to go in with a handful of solid tenants already lined up signed and sealed. I think with that happening and with just the general COVID impact on the general economy, they just felt it wasn’t a good time to be investing hundreds of millions of dollars into a brand-new project.”
Mercantante said he’s not sure if there are any other plans looming around the corner for the site. That would be between the property owner and the developer first; the township wouldn’t know until an arrangement was already in place. But “nothing” that he knows of like that is happening, he said.
Some residents were happy to learn of the news, as plans have been controversial. Many were concerned about potential traffic congestion along Kings Highway East and West and other neighboring roadways nearby, as well as environmental impacts from the project.
But others, like Middletown resident Jessica Porter said she strongly opposes the residential plans and would have preferred to have the retail component instead.
“I feel as though changing the plans for Village 35 is a mistake for our community. Our public schools are already too crowded as it is and our retail stores are limited compared to other areas,” she said. “When I need to go shopping at a retail store, I typically have to go to Shrewsbury or Eatontown. I was excited to have retail stores closer to my home regardless of the traffic flow it may create.”
She added that the residential neighborhoods set to be built through this plan will allow for the same, if not more, traffic in the area. That’s why she said the retail plans should not have been abandoned due to concerns of the pandemic. “Isn’t having more people moving to town from unknown areas a concern for those worried about COVID as well? Village 35 will be around for a much longer time than COVID will,” Porter added.
Stop Village 35 is also strongly against the plans and is made up of citizens with concerns about potential traffic impacts, taxes, drainage concerns and more. The group filed a lawsuit challenging the township but lost in 2019.
“The Village 35 plan is absurdly large, 118+ acres, (larger than the Monmouth Mall), for an already congested Route 35 frontage location,” the group posted on its website. “The poorly planned road reconfigurations will not alleviate the enormous amounts of traffic coming to Route 35 and through our neighborhoods.”
Representatives of Toll Brothers were unable to be reached for comment by press time Wednesday. Representatives of National Realty and Development Corp. did not provide any comment.
The article originally appeared in the September 3 – 9, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
