The nearly 40-year story of the now vacant Tri-Towne Plaza shopping center along Route 70 might finally be coming to an end.
On Oct.7, Evesham Township and Richard Birdoff, of New York-based RD Management, the owner of the plaza, gathered in Tri-Towne’s parking lot to announce that the two parties had agreed to a multi-million dollar redevelopment plan for the aging shopping center.
If all goes to plan, redevelopment would begin next spring on Tri-Towne and the center would start the transformation into a new mixed-use property, with multiple high-end retailers next to an apartment complex with 100 new market-rate apartments be built along Locust Avenue.
Built in 1975 with about 180,000 square feet of buildings on 20 acres, Tri-Towne Plaza once contained K-Mart as its anchor store, along with a SuperFresh grocery store and numerous other smaller retailers throughout the years.
The K-Mart later became a SearsEssential store that closed several years ago, and the SuperFresh left in early 2013, with the center becoming completely empty as of early this spring when Kobe Grill Sushi & Seafood Buffet and a few other smaller businesses left.
The proposed improvements to the site are valued at $25 million, five times the $5 million at which the plaza is now valued.
Mayor Randy Brown said he didn’t think the day would ever come, and those gathered were standing in front of arguably the largest redevelopment plan Evesham Township had ever seen.
“I have to say we stand today very united with Mr. Birdoff’s vision, my vision and the vision of Evesham Township Council to go ahead and redevelop Tri-Towne Plaza in to be one of the most active places in Evesham Township,” Brown said.
In the past, the two parties have had numerous disputes, both in the media and in court, over the state of the property and whether it met the township’s designation of a property in need of redevelopment.
Brown, while making note that the relationship between himself and Birdoff had been long and arduous with many ups and downs, said the two sides were both moving forward and committed to what’s best for Evesham.
“We’re on to next year,” Brown said. “I think when you’re a public official, at times you let your personality shine too much, and I think lately Mr. Birdoff and I both put out personalities aside and said ‘what’s best for the community of Evesham, what’s best for the community of Southern New Jersey.’”
According to Birdoff, the redevelopment project will also generate approximately 350 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs, with a boost to the township’s tax ratables.
He also said he was convinced that a mixed-use site, which he was initially opposed to, could succeed at Tri-Towne Plaza after touring the success of Evesham’s Main Street.
“Seeing firsthand the improvements that the township leaders, local businesses and property owners have worked so hard to implement over the past few years, I was able to appreciate how a mixed-use project could truly succeed here,” Birdoff said.
Brown also had the same predictions about the potential job creation for the town.
“This center right here is going to add hundreds of jobs,” Brown said. “It’s going to add jobs on the construction side, and it’s going to add jobs on the permanent side, part-time, full-time. And regardless of where you live, where you work, jobs are a good thing.”
Although Birdoff and Brown both said no specific business had yet signed on for the redeveloped plaza, both hoped that with the redevelopment announcement, retailers would be attracted to the area.
“We had discussions with many people, but obviously there have been some impediments in getting a product underway, but I think with this announcement that we’ve reached a resolution and we’re going to be able to strike some deals,” Birdoff said.
The new area is tentatively named the Residences at Renaissance Square and the Shops at Renaissance Square.
