BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — The old Meyer’s shopping center could be getting close to having its own extreme makeover.
The Planning Board will likely vote on an application that would see the entire Route 18 property, long described by residents and officials as an eyesore, redeveloped with a retail center designed for upscale stores. The proposal from Pagano Real Estate Inc. would raze the existing structures and bring three separate buildings to the 18.2-acre site, stretching back to Summerhill Road. The new shopping center would be called Summerhill Square.
The board was expected to continue talks on the application last night, and Board Chairman Shawn Taylor said it was possible a decision would be made at that meeting. Pagano has made several changes to the plan, such as providing less retail space than was initially planned.
The proposal has been discussed at board meetings since October, but Pagano’s attorney, David Himmelman, said a planning expert still had to testify on behalf of the applicant before recommendations could be made and a vote taken.
Taylor noted that in February the board recommended the developer provide less retail space, a request that was answered.
“We said we wanted to see something a little smaller,” he said. “They did reduce the square footage some.”
Himmelman said the total square footage of the three proposed buildings is now at just over 150,000 square feet. Pagano has reduced it by between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet, but in three buildings instead of four.
The main building will have upscale stores, while one of the smaller buildings will likely have a pharmacy. That building would be located closer to Summerhill Road, which runs behind the Route 18 site. He said it’s not clear yet what will be located in the third retail pad. Pagano has mentioned that a Starbucks could be part of the new center.
Himmelman said other changes have been made to the application as well.
For one thing, the buffer area from Summerhill Road has been increased, so the retail space would be farther from the road. Another change involved relocating the garbage area from the loading zone.
The retail pad that faces Summerhill Road saw its square footage reduced by about 1,000 square feet alone, he said.
A drive-through lane for one of the retail pads has been eliminated from the plan.
And, larger sidewalks have been proposed for the front of the property as part of an effort to create a “courtyard” type of area near Route 18, Himmelman said.
“We are trying to create an area to congregate and walk comfortably,” he said.
Taylor seemed pleased with the changes.
“Our main concern was we thought they needed to scale it down a bit,” he said “This is a big development, and we wanted some changes.”
The shopping center has been referred to as Meyer’s for a store that was operated there many years ago. That store closed, and most other retail businesses departed in the ensuing years, leaving the privately owned property mostly vacant.
Township officials announced last fall that Pagano was under contract to purchase and redevelop the site.
Officials lauded Pagano’s plan to create this type of shopping center in East Brunswick.
Once the new buildings are in place, the property will be reassessed, and the site is expected to generate a greater amount of tax revenue for the town than is presently collected from Meyer’s.