Getting the Foxmoor Shopping Plaza rehabilitated and thriving again has been a priority of the Township for the better part of a decade.
Untangling the shopping center from its former owner was a long, arduous process and we were thrilled when Pennmark Properties, with a respected history of development and leasing space, purchased the center at Sheriff’s sale in September of 2018.
Vacancies in Foxmoor began to fill up, and that occupancy trend continued despite a pandemic. Planet Fitness signed a minimum 10-year deal to serve as one of two anchor tenants in the former Marazzo’s Thriftway and will hopefully open later this summer. That 126,000-square-foot space will be shared by the Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Academy – a school and childcare facility for children ages six weeks to 13 years that will operate closest to the Washington Boulevard entrance.
The final hurdle for STEM was getting approved by the Zoning Board, which happened on March 15. Unfortunately, the submission to approve STEM is laden with safety concerns, including the probability of multiple vehicles potentially spilling onto and clogging Washington Boulevard during the morning drop-off, along with insufficient pedestrian crossings at Union Street.
The Zoning Board based its approval on the recommendations of outside licensed professionals, including those used for evaluating traffic impacts, and in spite of the concerns expressed by Robbinsville Township Lieutenant in charge of traffic safety Tom Egan and Robbinsville Township Fire Inspector Brian Johnson.
Regarding traffic, Inspector Johnson submitted “access from the front and or the rear is a serious concern for all” and that “there needs to be a sensible and constructable way to get these vehicles moving in and out safely for all involved.”
In his memo, Lt. Egan stated: “I am concerned about traffic buil d up at the signal located at Washington Blvd./Rt. 33 during peak hours. We are already experiencing left turn traffic build up.”
As the Township Director of Public Safety my concerns and those of my safety professionals are well-founded, and I am frankly very disappointed in everyone that contributed to this application’s final approval.
Let me be very clear. We want STEM in Robbinsville and every square foot of Foxmoor Plaza leased. However, the decision to allow STEM to operate in this particular space—so close to Washington Boulevard—is the issue. Children need a safe area to be dropped off and picked up as part of an adequate traffic system—a flow similar to that utilized by our three public schools. Putting STEM right next to what is sure to be a bustling national fitness franchise was, in my opinion, a mistake.
My understanding is there was a potential pad site in the interior of the center where I feel the school would have worked quite well.
Only time will tell whose opinions were correct.
Dave Fried is the mayor and director of Public Safety for Robbinsville Township
