Construction of the nearly 80,000-square-foot ShopRite should be complete by November 2019 and the new store will also sell alcohol
A new ShopRite supermarket that sells alcohol will be built at the site of the former Wayne Hills Mall, according to the project’s developers.
Construction of the new supermarket is scheduled to be complete by Thanksgiving 2019, said Stephen Hittman, chief executive officer for Crossroads Companies of Mahwah.
Work is underway to demolish the 103,000-square-foot mall, located off Hamburg Turnpike and Berdan Avenue. The mall was built in 1974, closed in 2006 and has been vacant ever since.
The new ShopRite, which is still under design, will be nearly 80,000-square-feet – about 20,000-square-feet larger than the area’s current ShopRite, which does not sell alcohol.
The former mall site is on a 29-acre property that includes a Burlington store, Kmart, LA Fitness, a closed Toys ‘R’ Us store and a Firehouse Subs.
The Wayne Township Planning Board approved construction of the supermarket and five smaller stores in 2016. That decision was appealed by Stop&Shop, which operates a store in a nearby shopping center.
A state Superior Court judge, however, ruled in favor of the planning board, Hittman said.
“The relocation (of ShopRite) will provide the Township of Wayne’s 55,000 residents with a brand new, larger store with upgraded amenities while keeping the same ShopRite brand,” Hittman said in a news release.
“This is an excellent location that provides ease of access and ample parking, and it will allow ShopRite to expand its produce, organic and other product offerings,” the developer said.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.