It was announced Thursday morning by Mayor Anthony Minniti that the Garden State Inn, Friendly’s and Azalea Farm grounds will be redeveloped.
According to a press release sent to Cinn City News this morning, Cinnaminson Township reached an agreement to redevelop a 10-acre tract that is bound by Route 130 South and Highland Avenue.
Minniti said that the tract was targeted for redevelopment by the township more than a decade ago.
Friendly’s, the Garden State Inn and the “Azalea Farm” property are all on the 10-acre tract set for redevelopment.
“Cinnaminson has reached an agreement of sale for the Garden State Inn”, Minniti said. “Concurrently, Cinnaminson is finalizing and prepared to sign an agreement with German grocery giant, Lidl (LEE-dull), to open a new location at the Garden State Inn site.”
Lidl is a direct competitor to Trader Joe’s.
Formal resolutions will be read at the January 23 Township Committee meeting regarding this redevelopment project.
Minniti praised the efforts of the economic development team, which is led by former township Mayor Michael Minton.
“Mayor Minton, along with our economic development team (past Mayors and current Committee members John McCarthy and William “Ben” Young, as well as Township Administrator Michael King) have been working on this deal for over a year.”
According to Minniti, the deal almost fell apart last spring.
“The town was working with a regional developer who shared our vision for the site” Minniti said. “It seemed that as the project was nearing the finish line, it began to bog down, which is never a good sign.”
A new plan created by the economic development team let the township committee assume the role of “developer” in taking control of the parcels under common ownership.
The largest parcel up for sale is the Garden State Inn, which will go to Lidl.
“Cinnaminson Township Committee designated itself to serve as the Township’s Redevelopment Authority” said Township solicitor John Gillespie. “That decision creates the opportunity for the Committee to take bold steps in the furtherance of the town’s redevelopment vision.”
There is a tremendous upside to removing the Garden State Inn from Cinnaminson’s Route 130 Corridor.
“At 97 rooms, the Garden State Inn alone has more rooms than all of the previous Motel Row establishments combined,” Administrator and Director of Public Safety, Michael King said. “The town is forced to commit significant resources to deal with crime and other ancillary issues generated by the Garden State Inn.”
“We have to patrol the Garden State Inn, every day. Criminal incidents range from petty crime all the way up to drugs, prostitution, and weapons offenses. I cannot understate the importance of having The Garden State Inn closed.”
Many have asked about Trader Joe’s coming to Cinnaminson, but Minniti said, “Trader Joe’s would not consider opening a location in Cinnaminson, so we’re thrilled, to bring a new grocer to town, especially when they’re considered a top competitor of Trader Joe’s”.
A concept plan for the project has been drafted and informally approved. An official redevelopment and final design plan will be drafted in the coming weeks.
According to Minniti, Friendly’s has been asked to stay during the redevelopment of the 10-acre tract, but has yet to make a decision.
The Township anticipates formal approval hearings to begin by this summer.
Minniti said that the developer should speak in front of the planning board by this spring. The timeline for vacating the Garden State Inn will be up to the redeveloper agreement.
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