Demolition work could start soon to turn Monmouth Mall into stores, apartments
EATONTOWN - The holiday foot traffic appeared very light at Monmouth Mall on Monday afternoon — just one week before Christmas — as almost all of the retail shops on the wing between Boscov's and the escalators were empty.
That is mostly likely by design, as the heavy demolition work for the long-anticipated redevelopment of Monmouth Mall will start about March, Kushner Cos.'s chief development officer told the Asbury Park Press, converting the mall into stores and apartments.
That wing, which consists of two floors, is one of the areas to be demolished. Kushner Cos. is also going to tear down the space formerly occupied by long-time anchor tenant JCPenney, which left the mall last year after filing for bankruptcy.
JCPenney closed stores all across the country in what has become a sign of the times as brick-and-mortar stores have struggled to keep up with e-commerce. That was the main impetus behind Kushner Cos.' drive to rebrand the mall under the new name Monmouth Square while drastically changing its footprint.
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Kushner Cos. started down that road in 2015 and over the last eight years presented several renditions, which received borough approvals. Along the way it won a lawsuit brought on by residents opposed to part of the plan which included seven-story apartments along the perimeter.
The tax exemption was made possible after the borough designated the 103-acre mall property an area in need of redevelopment in order to have more control over the site's design and construction phasing.
It also agreed to drop several years' worth of tax appeals it filed against the borough after the two parties agreed to a 30-year tax exemption for the final site plan, which was approved this year by the Borough Council and Planning Board.
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All told, about 600,000 square feet of the mall's roughly 1.5 million square feet will be cleared to make way for the new design. Michael Sommer, Kushner Cos.' chief development officer, said the mall will stay open during the demolition and construction.
Kushner's final plan consists of 1,000 apartments and roughly 900,000 square feet of retail. The apartments have been lowered to four stories and most of them will be located toward the center of the mall property, away from the mall's perimeter border with a residential neighborhood.
New landscaping will add over 800 new trees, plus smaller shrubs and plants. All roads, both internal and the outer ring road, will have sidewalks and many will have bike lanes. The mall will have over three miles of sidewalks when all is said and done. A common area, also toward the center of the property, will provide programming open to the public.
Kushner Cos. has not said what current tenants will stay in the new mall redesign, but the AMC movie theater will remain, as will Barnes & Noble. The bookstore however, is moving to a new spot and Whole Foods is taking over Barnes & Noble.
Sommer said Barnes & Noble will be located the spots where Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and La Maison Fine Furniture were located. Sommer said preparations for Barnes & Noble's move are starting this week.
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The mall traces it history back to 1960, when it opened as an outdoor shopping center. It was expanded and enclosed in 1975.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth Mall demolition to start conversion to stores, apartments
