Newly Approved Beachwood Mall Plans Show What’s To Come
Tom Petty once sang, “The waiting is the hardest part”. While I’ll guess old Tom never drove down Route 9 in Beachwood. If he did, he could appreciate the frustration, apprehension, and uncertainty in everyone’s mind in the area. The Beachwood Mall went from a thriving retail outlet to a barely surviving few stores, Then, to a barren wasteland of buildings, to finally a deserted, overgrown pad, all in less than 20 years. However that is all about to change. As new plans have finally been approved!
According to a public notice, a preliminary major site plan was approved at the January Berkeley Township Planning Board meeting. This paves the way for the following to be built on the site:
- One 4,500 square foot retail building pad
- One 2,340 square foot fast food restaurant with drive-through
- One 83,000 square foot supermarket
- One 125,000 square foot retail building
- One 44,124 square foot retail building
Furthermore, it’s been previously reported car wash is going to be constructed on the site. Meanwhile, the fast food restaurant will apparently be a Popeyes, according to these same earlier reports.
The site, in the Town Center Redevelopment Area, has sat vacant for years, serving as an eyesore on the side of Route 9. Interestingly, While a car wash was not explicitly allowed under zoning laws, developers argued that it would be a service establishment and therefore should be allowed, which it now apparently is.
Previous Speculation Had The Site Becoming Low And Middle-Income Housing.
Moreover, recently you may remember a rumor being bandied about that Amazon was not only moving in, but was going to attempt to reconstruct Route 9, having it split the site. Thus making it easier for trucks to move in and out of Amazon consistently. Thankfully that engineering nightmare never came to fruition.
Here Are An Artist’s Overhead Rendering Of The Plans.
Find out more about Beachwood here.
