Middletown should think twice about permitting a Home Depot to locate in the former Bradlees store in a shopping center on Route 35 south just past town hall.
Township officials are discussing the possibility of permitting the "big box" store to locate there, provided it would agree not to sell lumber or Sheetrock.
"We definitely want to question whether or not Home Depot can or will cut out that major component of its business to have a store on the former Bradlees site," said Planning Director Tony Mercantante. "We’re currently talking to them about the feasibility of that option. Maybe it’ll work. Nothing has been decided yet, though."
A long time ago, Hazlet officials stipulated that the present Home Depot site, located farther north on Route 35, would be prohibited from selling goods along the front of the store. There were other stipulations, such as making the Clark Street exit one way.
If asked about those rules today, most officials would probably deny they ever existed because there is no evidence today that they were ever taken seriously.
Once Middletown opens the door to a store as popular as Home Depot, where customers like to buy lumber and Sheetrock, the genie will be out of the bottle.
Besides, another Home Depot-type store — Lowe’s — will be opening its doors soon a little farther north in Holmdel.
If Middletown lets the store in, that will be mean three "big box" home improvement stores within less than 10 miles of each other.