Area In Need Of Redevelopment: American Legion Drive

From a resident:
I heard a rumor about the Town knocking down Stop & Shop, is that true?

No.
We heard this too.  It’s alarmist and incorrect.

We will do our best to explain exactly what the town has been looking at in that area. Source documents are included below with links to the originals.

Non-Condemnation Area in Need of Redevelopment

Council has hoped to kick off improvements to all of Cedar lane, starting at American legion drive for quite a while.  In connection with those improvements, the Township has been looking to see what can aid this area.  As part of that review, the Council requested a hearing on whether the area meets the defined criteria for a non-condemnation area in need of redevelopment.

The Township Council, on or about September 22, 2020, adopted Resolution No. 203-2020 by which it authorized Phillips Preiss Grygiel Leheny Hughes LLC, Planning and Real Estate Consultants, to undertake professional planning services in connection with the potential redevelopment of certain properties located along American Legion Drive within the Township, including assisting the Planning Board in conducting an investigation concerning whether the area is an area in need of redevelopment.

The Planning Board held a hearing on whether this area met the definition of “Area in Need of Redevelopment” on March 25, 2021.

Subsequent to the Planning Board unanimously approving the plan, the Township Council passed several resolutions (see below) to further review options.

For those looking for a simple answer:

There are three options for Stop & Shop under this type of plan:

1. Keep the site as-is
2. Rebuild on site
3. Rebuild on the southern portion of the site

It’s important to remember that Stop & Shop owns some of their land and this is a NON CONDEMNATION proceeding, That means that ONLY STOP & SHOP can make the decision of what THEY WANT TO DO with THEIR PROPERTY.

We are simply working on rezoning and other area developments on American Legion Drive so that they have more options and better ways to meet the goals of the Township moving forward, whichever they choose.

Further Reading:

Planning Board documents from March 25, 2021 hearing:

• Agenda (including draft report)
• Video of Meeting for discussion of the plan
  • Video of hearing on report only
• Draft Area In Need Of Redevelopment Investigation

Council Documents:

• Resolution 203-2021
  AUTHORIZING PHILLIPS, PREISS, GRYGIEL, LEHENY, HUGHES LLC TO UNDERTAKE PROFESSIONAL PLANNING SERVICES IN CONNECTION WITH THE POTENTIAL REDEVELOPEMENT OF PROPERTIES LOCATED ALONG AMERICAN LEGION DRIVE
  • Planning Services-American Legion Drive redevelopment
  • Tax Map
  • Aerial View
  • American Legion Statement for Investigation
• Resolution 87-2021
  DECLARING AND DETERMINING BLOCK 705, LOT 4.01 AND BLOCK 707, LOTS 1-5 AS A NON-CONDEMNATION AREA IN NEED OF REDEVELOPMENT
• Resolution 88-2021
  AUTHORIZING PHILLIPS, PREISS, GRYGIEL, LEHENY, HUGHES LLC TO UNDERTAKE THE PREPARATION OF A PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT PLAN WITH RESPECT TO THE REDEVELOPMENT OF BLOCK 705, LOT 4.01 AND BLOCK 707, LOTS 1-5 AS SHOWN ON THE TAX MAP OF THE TOWNSHIP OF TEANECK PURSUANT TO N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-7

Legal Documents

In order to preserve their positions, Stop & Shop filed an action in lieu of prerogative writ in Superior Court.

You can read the papers here:

• Initiating Document
• Answer of the Planning Board
• Answer of the Township
• Transcripts of Planning Board Hearings

 

While the papers contain a lot of information about the process, a careful reader will note that there is NO REFERENCE TO DEMOLITION or anything of the sort mentioned in the legal papers.