What’s Replacing Raritan Mall in NJ? Redevelopment Plans Revealed

Finally. A New Jersey strip mall will be torn down and the space left behind will be home to new apartments, according to NJ.com.

Raritan Mall will be demolished and the space redeveloped

It's the rundown Raritan Mall on Route 206. The approval for the new project came last week from the Raritan Borough Planning Board, after years of rejected ideas. The strip mall was built on an old landfill, in an area that tends to flood, back in the 1980s, so residents are worried about "environmental risks."

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Redevelopments plans include apartments and retail stores

Redevelopment plans for the almost 11 acre property will see the mall being demolished to make way for almost 300 new apartments and 20,000 square-feet of retail space on the bottom floor. No word yet on which stores will be moving in. The apartment building will be five stories high, with close to 300 units and 42 affordable units.

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The bank building will stay and become retail space

The separate one-story building where the bank once was will not be torn down. The approved plans by Raritan Mall Urban Renewal LLC has that being converted to retail space, as well.

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Raritan Mall was once a bustling shopping center with over a dozen stores, but ever since the Stop & Shop closed back in 2016, other stores followed suit and shuttered.

Locals concerned about the demolition and new project spoke out at the Planning Board meeting on Wednesday night. They are worried that previous flooding will lead to contamination spreading to the area's drinking water when the strip mall is torn down.

Plans still need further approval before the project can begin. For more information, click here.