INSERRA SUPERMARKETS IS EAGER TO ESTABLISH SHOPRITE IN TOWNSHIP OF WYCKOFF
Leading Supermarket Owner/Operator with Local Ties Proposes Modern Neighborhood Store
WYCKOFF, N.J. – November 2, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Inserra Supermarkets, a leading owner/operator of 21 ShopRite supermarkets throughout New Jersey and New York State, is eager to bring the residents of Wyckoff, N.J., new choices when it comes to grocery and non-grocery items. The Mahwah, N.J., based family-owned company is pursuing plans for a 62,042-square-foot ShopRite redevelopment of a 7.6-acre site in the heart of the Township’s central business district.
The site was originally designed and built late in the 1960s as a supermarket by Stop & Shop. As a long-term ground lessee for more than three decades, Stop & Shop sublet the space to A&P after deciding to temporarily leave the New Jersey market. Located at the corners of Wyckoff and Greenwood Avenue, the property currently houses a 53,500-square-foot distressed supermarket structure, which has been vacant for more than 10 years. An adjacent 11,700-square-foot retail center was vacated a few months ago.
Since becoming the long-term ground lessee of the site in 2009, Inserra Supermarkets has commissioned numerous professional assessments of the property and surrounding area, including traffic, landscape architecture, site use and municipal utilities. The development team also has been working with the Township’s Design Review Board and Shade Tree Commission, both of which are advisory bodies, and Township of Wyckoff Planning Board.
“Inserra Supermarkets has a proven track-record and is committed to establishing a true neighborhood supermarket that reflects the character and needs of the surrounding buildings and residents,” said James Jaworski, Esq., who is representing the company in its application. “Mr. Inserra has personally been attending the public meetings for more than a year because he wants to know what local residents and officials are thinking, in terms of expectations and concerns.”
To date, Inserra Supermarkets has monitored a N.J. State Department of Environmental Protection-approved remediation; presented initial and revised architectural plans; developed and amended an efficient site plan for the irregularly shaped land parcel; studied property access points; and analyzed the existing and projected flow of vehicles at the site and on surrounding roadways. Members of the redevelopment team also have solicited feedback from local public safety officials and collaborated with the County of Bergen regarding potential traffic concerns. To address the site’s existing severe green space deficit, almost a full acre will be converted from asphalt to greenery with more than 1,100 new shade trees and permanent shrubs to be planted throughout the site.
“Inserra Supermarkets knows what works and what doesn’t when it comes to developing a neighborhood supermarket in Northern New Jersey,” said Jaworski. “This project was never planned to be, and never will evolve into, a ‘big-box’ store because that just doesn’t fit into Wyckoff’s suburban architectural landscape. ShopRite of Wyckoff is designed to match this historic community with its architectural gables and two-tone red brick façade as well as goods and services that cater to busy shoppers, many of whom are passing by the site on their way to or from work or transporting children from school or extracurricular activities.”
Established in 1954 by Patsy Inserra as a privately held family business, Inserra Supermarkets remains true to its roots as a family-owned grocery chain committed to the families and communities it serves. In 1980, under the entrepreneurial guidance of the late Lawrence Inserra, Sr., the company grew to eight stores and experienced a banner year in 1981, growing to 14 stores. Today, the company owns and operates 21 ShopRite supermarkets in New Jersey’s Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Sussex, Ocean and Somerset counties as well as southeastern New York.
Media Contact:
Evelyn Weiss Francisco/ 201-796-7788 / evelyn (at) caryl (dot) com, www.twitter.com/carylcomm
