Your view from the Driscoll Bridge will never be the same with this landmark coming down

Susan Loyer, MyCentralJersey.com
·2 min read
5

SAYREVILLE – Your ride over the Driscoll Bridge will never be the same: Amboy Cinemas is finally coming down.

Demolition work is underway at the shuttered theater on Routes 9 & 35, visible from the Garden State Parkway, which has been a vacant eyesore for nearly two decades.

"We're gratified that the property owner is removing this eyesore, and we're hopeful that a project to showcase the gateway to our municipality will come to reality in the upcoming years," said Sayreville Business Administrator Glenn Skarzynski. "The developer has not yet approached the borough about any projects they may have planned for the site."

The Borough Council approved an ordinance last fall establishing a redevelopment plan for the site, also known as the National Amusement Theater, which proposes a variety of retail, hotel, recreation, office and professional uses.

The 19.5-acre parcel in the northeast section of the borough contains three properties, about 1,200 feet south of the Raritan River. The area, north of the Melrose residential neighborhood, is immediately east of the base of the Driscoll Bridge with frontage on Route 9 to the west and Route 35 to the east.

Amboy Cinemas opened at the site in December 1979, replacing a drive-in theater, and closed in 2005 due to the settling of the lobby floor.

Demolition is proceeding at the former site of Amboy Cinemas in Sayreville. The site closed in 2005 and will be developed into a variety of retail, hotel, recreation, office and professional uses.
Demolition is proceeding at the former site of Amboy Cinemas in Sayreville. The site closed in 2005 and will be developed into a variety of retail, hotel, recreation, office and professional uses.

The property was owned by National Amusements Inc. and was sold to Dice Real Estate LLC for $6.75 million in 2020.

The redevelopment plan establishes permitted land uses, bulk and area requirements and design standards for any proposed development.

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"It is envisioned that this redevelopment area will fit into and be compatible with the commercial, residential and waterfront uses of the development of the former National Lead site and the existing highway commercial character of the surrounding area," the plan says.

Under the redevelopment plan, permitted uses at the site include office, retail, grocery store, education, medical, assisted living, hotel, gym, restaurant, entertainment, park-and-ride and open space.

Prohibited used include warehouse, industrial, auto and trailer storage, single- and multi-family housing, freestanding automated bank teller and outdoor storage of goods and materials.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Amboy Cinemas in Sayreville NJ being demolished