NEPTUNE - The former Asbury Park Press property on Route 66may have a hotel, a convenience store and retail in its future.
The 21.6-acre property, at the corner of Route 66 and Jumping Brook Road, has been vacant since 2014, the yearit was sold to H. Hovnanian Industries. The Press' headquarters, a 175,000-square-foot building that opened in1985, was demolished later that year. The newspaper moved its offices to a building across the street.
Last month, VitoGadaleta, Neptune's now retiredbusiness administrator, gave the Township Committee an update on the property's status after hearing from Hovnanian's property management company.
"The comment I received was it appears the hotel industry is ramping up again and a deal at the site is going under contract," Gadaleta said. "So we will know shortly, once that contact is signed, who the potential hotel developer is at Route 66 and Jumping Brook."
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The developer also is "continuing to negotiate" a contract with a convenience store and gasoline tenant and a fast-food operator. They have also had interest from a "large home resource supplier" retailer, which has visited the property.
An official at H. Hovnanian could not be reached for comment. A township representative told What's Going There that there's no update as of yet.
Wewill keep an eye on developments at 3001Route 66. Whatever ends up on the site will have plenty of company nearby, including Jersey Shore Premium Outlets, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn by Marriott, Walmart, Home Depot,Restaurant Depot McDonald's and Arby's.
What Going There isyour source for updates on commercial development in Monmouth and Ocean counties from shopping centers and grocery stores to discount stores and fast-food restaurants.
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Here are some other projects we'll keep track of in 2022.
Life Time, Middletown
Construction fencing has gone up around a vacantoffice building on Half Mile Road and Schulze Drive, the site of Life Time's$40 million athletic and fitness center right off the Garden State Parkway's Exit 109. Almost a year ago, a judge dismissed a lawsuit trying to stop the project.
The Planning Board approved Life Time's three-storyfitness center in 2019. It will have pools, a cafe, a basketball court, and a four-level parking garage.
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Marketplace at Neptune, Route 35, Neptune
Last October, the township Planning Board approved a developer's proposal to construct a new shopping center on the site of a former Coca-Cola bottler's warehouse at the Route 35 circle. A formal resolution to OK the project is up for a vote this week.
M&M of Neptune proposes tobuild an 8,000-square-foot retail store, a 20,442-square-foot Aldi discount supermarket, a 3,316-square-foot fast food restaurant with a drive-thru lane, and a 4,500-square-foot convenience store with six fuel pumps under a canopy,according to the site plan.
Neighboring residents, including those in the Colonial Terrace neighborhood in Ocean Township, have opposed the plan citing traffic concerns.
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Wawa and more Wawa
In December, Wawa closed its store on Lanes Mill Road in Brick to make way for its replacement:a new Wawa convenience storewith gasoline pumps. Construction workers are in the midst of demolition, knocking down a closed Chinese restaurant next door.
A project to build a Wawa convenience store in Lakehurst is awaiting approval of a permit from the state Department of Transportation.In October 2020, the town approved a 5,051-square-footWawa at the intersection of Lilac Street and Union Avenue, near Route 70.
New Wawas also are coming to Route 35, one in Ocean Township at Deal Road as part of a new shopping center called Ocean Commons, and at the redeveloped Hazlet Town Center shopping center. Ocean Commons also will include a Chick-fil-A restaurant and a Turning Point breakfast, lunch and brunch spot.
A Wawa also has been approved in Jackson, where Glory's Discount Market now sits. The development also will include aa 5,244-square-foot Glory's liquor store and a 7,011-square-foot retail store and pharmacy with a drive-thru lane.
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Amazon
Amazon, the retailing goliath, is building and making its mark in Monmouth County. A delivery station, which are small warehouses used by Amazon for a package's final leg to a customer's home, opened in November at Seaview Square shopping center in Ocean Township. The company built the station in part of the former Sears store, taking a 92,980-square-foot space, the building's upper level.
Amazon also is building a delivery station in Tinton Falls, on the property that was once the Twin Brook Golf Center on Jumping Brook Road. There's no word on when the 113,016-square-footwarehouse will be complete.
There's aretwo Amazon Fresh grocery stores under construction in Monmouth County. While Amazon still has not officially confirmed them, one is taking much of the former Toys R Us space on Route 35 in Eatontown. and the second is about 11 miles north on Route 35 at Holmdel Commons in Holmdel.
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Snapbox Storage, Hazlet
Snapbox Self Storage won approval by the township's Land Use Board last summer to convert for the long-vacantShopRite on Route 36 into 345 storage units. The building will be remodeled, which will include a new façade, lighting, doors and windows.
Now Snapbox is back before township officials to seek approval for the rest of the project: five self-storage buildings proposed for an area that is now the old parking lot. Four of the buildings, which will have exterior access, are 8,550 square feet while the fifth is 10,400 square feet, according to plans. A hearing date has not yet been set.
Target
Target will open its new store at the former Kmartin Wall later this year, a spokesperson said last week. The company, one of the largest U.S. retailers, is remodeling theinside of the 93,000-square-foot store and retrofitting the façade.
If you're hoping a new Target in Eatontown will open this year, you may have to wait a little longer. The store, approved last fall for Eatontown Plaza on Route 36, will open "within in the next few years," the Target spokesperson said.
The new Target store is part of a redevelopment project at Eatontown Plaza. Besides Target, Chick-fil-A and Sleep Number are also on the way.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A is on an expansion spree in Monmouth and Ocean counties, starting with its newest restaurant on Route 9 in Freehold Township. That location is expected to open early this year, Chick-fil-A told What's Going There.
The fast food chain, known for its chicken sandwiches, also has a restaurant under construction on Route 72 in Stafford. More locations are planned in Eatontown and Ocean Township.
David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for more than 20 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Join hisWhat's Going There page on Facebookfor updates.
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