Community Corner
Bye-Bye Beachwood Shopping Center
Settlement will call for $65,000 in fines, shopping center to be demolished
Berkeley Township officials and the owner of the dilapidated Beachwood Shopping Center have reached a preliminary settlement that calls for her to pay $65,000 in fines and demolish the longtime eyesore once the agreement is signed, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said.
"We're moving in the right direction," the mayor said today. "We're still some time away, but we're moving forward."
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But the battle to redevelop the shopping center on Route 9 South at the entrance to Berkeley Township goes back more than a decade.
The effort began during former Mayor Jason J. Varano's time in office. Berkeley began putting together a Town Center redevelopment plan and sought the state Planning Commission's blessing.
That finally came in July 2012, when commission members unanimously approved the plan.
The township had already named Donato J. Donofrio the redeveloper of record. But Donofrio backed out last fall, citing the poor economy and the cost of cleaning up the site, which has environmental issues.
The Township Council is expected to approve a resolution on the consent agenda for tonight's meeting appointing M&M Partners & Lennar as the new redevelopers of record.
"They have had preliminary contact with the property owner's attorney to purchase the property," Amato said. "After designation, I'm optimistic they will be able to."
Come back to Patch soon for an update on this story.
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