News

The proposed site plan for the revamped Plaza del Mar.

The proposed facade of the new anchor grocery.

Watch a video walk-through at www.thecoastalstar.com.

Renderings and video provided by Cuhaci & Peterson

By Dan Moffett

    Manalapan commissioners got their first official look at plans to add a 27,000-square-foot Publix supermarket to Plaza del Mar and decided the center’s landlord has more issues to resolve before the project can move forward.
    After three hours of discussion in a packed Town Hall chamber June 21, commissioners rejected two development requests from Kitson & Partners and told the landlord to come back in July with more details and solutions.
    Commissioners balked at approving Kitson’s site plan for the project, saying there were too many uncertainties about the impact increased traffic would have on motorists, pedestrians and the environment.
    Commissioner Basil Diamond questioned how large semi-trucks would be able to navigate the tight quarters when delivering to the supermarket and how much noise residents behind the revamped mall would have to endure. He said mixing trucks and pedestrians is problematic.
    “There are thousands of items that are coming to that store,” Diamond said. “There’s going to be some buildup of trucks waiting to offload.”
    He said the plan should include a sound wall, perhaps as high as 12 feet, behind the building to block trucks’ noise from neighbors.
    Commissioners also turned down Kitson’s request to add a separate package liquor store to the project, worrying that selling carryout alcohol across from the beach is likely to cause problems, especially during spring break.
    “Having a liquor store so close to the beach really does bother me,” Vice Mayor Peter Isaac said. “We’ve never had a liquor store in Manalapan.”
    An attorney for Kitson, James Crowley of Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, told the commission that the landlord would provide security on the premises. Crowley said that the package store was important to ensuring the success of the renovation and reviving a shopping center that has languished for years.
    “The economic vitality of the town is something you should consider,” he told the commission.
    Mayor David Cheifetz told Kitson’s representatives to work with town staff during the next month to try to resolve security concerns about the package store.
    Commissioners voted 4-1 to reject the site plan proposal (with Isaac dissenting), but rescinded the vote when Crowley requested permission to bring back a revised plan to the July 19 meeting. Kitson needs approval of the site plan in order to begin demolition.
    Kitson’s Matt Buehler declined to identify the center’s prospective tenant, but town officials have confirmed that Publix has been negotiating with the landlord to put a store in the plaza for more than year.

Increased traffic raises concerns
    The redevelopment plan calls for dividing the center with a north-south roadway running from East Ocean Avenue to the back of the property. The package store would go in the space currently occupied by Jeannie’s Ocean Boutique. A half-dozen merchants with businesses in the heart of the plaza would be uprooted by the supermarket.
    Crowley said concerns that the supermarket is too large for the center are unwarranted because Kitson intends to tear down 47,000 square feet of retail space to build the 27,000-square-foot store.
    “We’re demolishing more than we’re adding. We’re taking the approved use and then subtracting from that,” he said. “We’re not redeveloping the plaza — just modifying what’s there.”
    Cheifetz argued that the retail space that would be eliminated is “lightly used” and a Publix could generate a large increase in traffic.
    Resident Michael Gottlieb said traffic bottlenecks would be inevitable when the Ocean Avenue drawbridge goes up.
    “I would like to see a Publix here,” Gottlieb said, “but I would also like to get back to my house.”
    Commissioner Simone Bonutti said it’s likely a traffic light would be needed at the proposed plaza entrance in front of Thaikyo restaurant, and she supported requiring a traffic study to find out for sure.
    Commissioner Clark Appleby also supported requiring a study: “I want to see something.”
    Lantana Mayor Dave Stewart spoke on behalf of his constituents who live behind the plaza. The Lantana Town Council unanimously approved a resolution to oppose the plans.
    Stewart said residents in his town had a long list of concerns about the supermarket, among them: drainage problems, dumpster issues, hours of operation, unauthorized beach parking, noise, architectural features, evacuation snarls, electromagnetic fields and easterly wind obstruction.
    “Thanks for listening,” Stewart told the commission. “Don’t kick the can down the road. For everybody’s sake, make a decision.”
    Buehler said Kitson’s project “complies fully with the town’s code as it exists today,” and his firm is making a long-term commitment that would benefit the community.
    “Literally, we are putting our money where our mouth is,” he said. “We’re investing additional funds into the town of Manalapan because we believe in this. We are not timid about this. We are going to move forward with this. We’ve been residents of Manalapan for 10 years as well. We’ve been the longest owner of this shopping center.”