ShopRite Coming to South Brunswick After Planning Board Approval

It was a long difficult battle in the courts, but after three years it looks as though South Brunswick shoppers will finally get an alternative food market to Stop & Shop.

At Wednesday night's Planning Board meeting, the board voted 8-0 to give conditional approval to an application from Pineville Brunswick Associates, LLC for a new ShopRite market to be housed in an 84,603-square foot retail space located across from Target on Route 1 just off of Stouts Lane. The approval came after a judge ruled last week in favor of the township following a lengthy legal battle with Stop & Shop, who tried to block ShopRite from moving into town.

"Stop & Shop had taken us to court three years ago on the rezoning of this property from office to C-2. They said it was spot zoning and had three or four different issues with the application," said Mayor Frank Gambatese. "The judge dismissed the charges and ruled the council had a right to rezone it. It made sense to rezone it and there was no spot zoning in this instance."

The approved application calls for ShopRite to be constructed on 48 acres of land. Once completed, it will bookend one side of the approximately 290,000 square foot lot, with Target on the opposite side of the site.

Gambatese said the arrival of ShopRite to South Brunswick would be a boon for residents who have long desired an alternative to Stop & Shop, which is the only shopping market in town.

"Stop & Shop controls the food market in this area and people tell me constantly that they want an alternative because they want to get the best prices," he noted. "Food is expensive, it's a big part of people's budget and we need to have choices. People want to be able to decide what store they shop at. One of our Planning Board members said something valid, that Stop & Shop will still get a fair share of the market. It's not like they're being cut out. People who live in Kendall Park will probably still go to Stop & Shop because it's right across the street. People tend to shop right by where they live."

Still to be determined is when construction on the new ShopRite will begin, as Stop & Shop still has the option of filing an appeal to the Planning Board's ruling.
Regardless, following many years of residents asking for a new option for food shopping in South Brunswick, it appears that change may be just on the horizon.

"ShopRite finishes off that shopping center with it located on one side, Target on the other and Best Buy in the middle," Gambatese said. "This is a positive thing for this town."