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RESIDENTS ASKED FOR INPUT ON FUTURE OF FOODTOWN SITE
By Keith Hagarty
 | | --Photos By Keith Hagarty The fate of the former Foodtown shopping center on Route 70 (above) was discussed this week during a public information session held on Tuesday. Township Planner Mike Fowler (right) gains feedback from residents on what they'd like to see for the 10-9-acre site. |
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With weeds overgrown in the parking lot and a faded supermarket sign reminding passing motorists of what once was, Township Planner Michael P. Fowler is encouraged by public input on what to do with the former Foodtown shopping center site along Route 70.
"Right now we're just trying to get some feedback from the public on what their thoughts are for the property and the overall planning for the site," Fowler said at Tuesday's public forum, held at the municipal building on Chambers Bridge Road.
The town presented four largescale aerial maps and photographs of the property in various sizes for residents to review.
"We're showing the site here so people can really get an idea of what the site looks like, how big it is, and what's around it within 2,000 feet of the property," said Fowler. "It's more to get information to the public about the property, and to answer any questions they might have about the redevelopment process and how it's going to move forward."
The 10.8-acre site along Route 70, located at the end of Brick Boulevard, was once the home of a Food Circus Foodtown supermarket, as well as a Bradlee's department store.
The town bought the vacated property in 2003 for about $6 million. At the time, it was purchased in part to block the construction of a Home Depot, with plans calling for a possible community center on the site. Those plans have since been scraped. Officials would now like to see it back on the township's tax rolls.
"During the course of last year, they decided to likely make it an area for redevelopment and sell the property," said Fowler.
The township council and administration recently met with 30 developers, each stating their ideas for the site. The governing body wants the best of all worlds:they would like to see a plan that adds the least amount of traffic, is the most aesthetically and environmentally pleasing, and also brings the most revenue.
While a recreation center was one of several ideas posed by Brick officials over the years, the township wants to know what Brick's residents envision.
While suggestions on what to do with the property have varied greatly, Fowler said the idea of building a hotel and banquet hall has been one of the most commonly heard recommendations.
"There isn't a hotel within this township, and we have over 75,000 people living in Brick," he said. "We have a couple of motels, but no hotels. The hotels around us are either in Toms River or Lakewood."
While he did not recommend any particular use for the site, Fowler said the site has several key factors which are prized by a potential hotel or commercial entity, some of which include its centralized location, a nearby golf course and panoramic views.
"It has views all the way up to Forge Pond to the north," he said, pointing to the map. "You can also see the Metedeconk River right across Route 70."
While there are no concrete plans for the site as of yet, Fowler is confident it definitely would not be used for single family residential housing.
"It may be a mixed use, where there may be some condos or there may be some offices," he said. "I can't necessarily rule out that it wouldn't be residential, but if it was residential then it would probably be more of a condo-type living which doesn't usually generate school children."
According to Fowler, condo or townhouse style units tend to attract more seniors, empty nesters or young singles or couples, and generally not with school-age children which could potentially put stress on the school district.
No matter what is the final decision on the use of the site, Fowler wants residents to know their input is highly valued.
"We've given it a lot of thought to make sure it's the right thing for this township," said Fowler. "We're looking at the traffic, the various mixed uses we can have on the property, the impact on the environment, the impact on the surrounding neighborhoods, and of course the value of the property for its eventual use plays into it."
Over the first quarter of 2008, the township planning board is expected to prepare the redevelopment plan, which would then go before the council for review. If the plan is accepted by the council, the governing body would then request RFP's (request for proposals) from potential developers based on the redevelopment plan. The approved developer would then have to submit site plans to the planning board for any intended use.
If all goes according to plan, town officials are hopeful the site could have a new owner and positive direction within the year.
Another upcoming public information forum on the former Foodtown site will be held in January at the Brick branch of the Ocean County Library. However, no official date and time for the forum has yet been determined.
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