BERKELEY, NJ — Additional plans for the redevelopment of the former Beachwood Mall were approved by the Berkeley Township Planning Board, including the confirmation of four new businesses.
Proposals for Berkeley Town Center – the site of the Beachwood Mall, long vacant – were heard by the board at their latest meeting.
Redevelopers confirmed that four businesses had signed leases for the new plaza, which will be constructed in two phases. The first phase will feature a Spark Car Wash, Burger King, Taco Bell and a Bojangles. A 7 Brew Coffee Shop is tentative, and there will be two additional fast food pads available.
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The second phase, which developers are not yet seeking specific approvals for, will include a supermarket and two retail buildings.
Bojangles does not have a presence in New Jersey, though one is currently planned for Piscataway. The southern chain focuses on fried chicken.
Find out what's happening in Berkeleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Similarly, 7 Brew has no New Jersey presence. This is a drive-thru only coffee shop.
The board raised concerns regarding traffic, particularly with regards to the necessity of a left turn only lane to get into the plaza.
There are traffic improvements planned for the project’s second phase, developers said, due to the supermarket and big box retailers. They said that the front pads were not expected to increase the level of traffic based on what the site historically has generated in terms of traffic.
Chairman Nick Mackres asked if Route 9 could be widened, or to at least make a left turn only lane for those entering the plaza heading north.
“This site is so old,” Mackres said. “So the traffic counts and the numbers don’t really come into effect.”
Developers agreed to work with the Department of Transportation to create a left turn lane. They also said there would be a driveway connecting with the neighboring liquor store. Improvements will be done to the signalized intersection at Gladney Avenue.
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The approval of the first phase of the Berkeley Town Center project means that the site, once an eyesore and vacant for nearly a decade now, will soon see activity once again.
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