Developer pulled them off Somers Point Planning Board agenda in January
SOMERS POINT — Those whose mouths are watering in anticipation of a Chick-fil-A opening in Somers Point are going to have to wait a little longer to learn whether the scheme will eventually hatch.
Brahin Properties pulled its application two days before the Planning Board hearing Jan. 15; it is expected to be on the agenda for the next meeting, set for Feb. 19.
The property where McNaughton’s Garden Center was located until its closing July 31, 2024, is owned by Lee Brahin, CEO and director of development for Brahin Properties. The company’s portfolio includes the 279,026-square-foot Somers Point Plaza across Route 9, Ocean Heights Plaza to the north and the Dollar General property to the south.
According to the company website, Brahin plans a project at 331 Route 9 to be known as Defeo Plaza that would include two out-parcels containing a Chick-fil-A and a Panera Bread restaurant, each with drive-thru capability. The 28,500-square-foot mixed-use project also would feature about 19,000 square feet of new retail space and 9,500 square feet of office/medical space.
According to the website, the plaza would have access to two traffic lights — one at Chapman Boulevard and the other at Bethel Road — and more than 900 feet of frontage along Route 9 in the heart of the commercial corridor.
The leasing agent, Soloff Realty & Development, is advertising the property as an opportunity to “join Chick-fil-A and Panera Bread at a central position in a regional shopping corridor.”
The property is expected to have multiple full access points from Route 9, Chapman Boulevard and Defeo Lane and is near the intersection of Route 9 and Bethel Road, which sees a combined traffic count of nearly 40,000 vehicles per day.
About 11 homes on Crestview Drive border the site on the west.
The area is chock full of businesses, including a Dunkin’, McDonald’s, Chipotle and Taco Bell on Route 9, along with a Wendy’s and Wawa a bit north.
Across Route 9, the Somers Point Plaza features Target, Petsmart, Planet Fitness, Passion Vines liquors, Primo Hoagies and Hand & Stone spa. There’s also an Acme market.
Around the corner on Bethel Road is ShopRite, Applebee’s, Five Below, Staples, GameStop, Sport Clips and Supercuts. Several banks and pharmacies also are in the vicinity.
There also is abundant single-family and multi-family housing within walking and biking distance, along with Charter Tech High School for the Performing Arts just down the street.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff