More than a half dozen new businesses expected to spring up on Route 22 in north Plainfield within the next year.
NORTH PLAINFIELD - A commercial rebirth in taking place on a stretch of Route 22 in this borough surrounded by Watchung to the north, Green Brook to the southwest and Plainfield to the south.
Sparked by the building of a Costco, more than a half dozen new businesses - including Wawa, Petco, Arooga's Grille House and Sports Bar, Quick Chek and a AAA complex - are on the fast track to spring up in this bustling corridor on Route 22 between Rock and Mountain avenues, energizing the stretch and bringing much-needed tax revenue to the borough.
"The mayor and borough council enthusiastically welcome the renewed interest in North Plainfield," said Borough Business Administrator David Hollod. "We're slowly emerging from the recession.
"This corridor goes through cycles. Some of these sites were old construction and underutilized land. A number of these sites were vacant. We're excited to make this corridor more attractive once again economically and aesthetically."
Due in part to the recession, K-Mart and Path Mark, once the hub of the commercial corridor in this portion of Route 22, closed in 2010, dealing a death blow to the corridor. Shortly thereafter, a McDonalds closed in the corridor.
In November, 2013, Costco moved into the site once occupied by K-Mart and Path Mark and the redevelopment of the corridor received a jump start, said Hollod. The opening of the Texas Road House in October, 2015 further ignited redevelopment along the corridor.
The most recent new tenant in the corridor is expected to be Wawa, which has an application before the zoning board to move into a prime corner lot at 855 Route 22 west owned by Fabricland, an iconic landmark in the borough since 1961.
Wawa is proposing a 5,585-square-foot convenience store and a gas station with six pumps on the 1.53-acre lot.
Bruce Heyman, owner of Fabricland, has vowed to keep the business - and its summer sewing camp and "Project Fabricland," a sewing competition - in the borough.
Iconic Fabricland to relocate in borough
Ground has been broken on a new building for Petco located between the Texas Road House and the Costco Gasoline pumps, said Hollod. The building will include a yet to be named second tenant, he said.
The AAA complex, on which construction has begun, will include an insurance and travel branch, as well as a vehicle maintenance facility. It's located next to The Tile Shop, which opened in November, 2013. The Arooga's Grille House and Sports Bar will be built adjacent to the Texas Road House.
On the corner of Route 22 west and Maple Avenue, a Goodwill Store is under construction on the old McDonalds' site. A Quick Chek convenience store and gasoline station has been approved on the east-bound side of Route 22 and Maple Avenue on the site of the old Somerset Farms.
A Metro Storage facility, to be located on the site of the old Homeowners Heaven Lumber Yard on Route 22 west, east of the North Drive intersection, is under construction. A La-Z-Boy Furniture Showroom along the corridor opened in September, 2016.
"The additional tax revenue, jobs and increased shopping and dining choices these developments provide will be a boost to the borough," said Hollod. "We're also creating a partnership with these businesses to make the corridor more attractive with new signage, landscaping and lighting.
"We're very enthusiastic about this redevelopment project. It shows that the Route 22 corridor is a very vital and important highway corridor in the region."
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.