ROXBURY, NJ – The transformation of the Ledgewood Mall into The Shops at Ledgewood Commons will not be done until 2019, according to the site's developers.

In 2016, the developers predicted the new shopping center would open next summer.

The 2019 date was included in a statement issued Monday by developers Advance Realty and DeBartolo Development. They said they plan to begin demolishing portions of the current mall, and building the new one, late this summer.

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Advance Realty and DeBartolo Development pointed out the scope of the project, noting the virtually empty Ledgewood Mall site will be "transformed into a vibrant" 450,000-square foot "power center" to feature shopping and dining.

A "Modern, Open-Air" Plan

“In an effort to attract a diverse mix of shopping and dining that will appeal to residents of Ledgewood and the surrounding area, the partnership will implement an extensive capital improvement program which will include the demalling of the existing Ledgewood Mall to create a modern open air shopping center with a mix of anchor, junior anchor and pad site opportunities,” the developers said.

The developers received from the township site plan approval for the project in late May. Yet to be approved is a plan to create a left-turn lane on westbound Route 10 as part of a traffic flow improvement proposal that also includes adding a second lane to Mary Louise Avenue at the Route 10 intersection.

Advance Realty and DeBartolo are going to demolish the building that last housed a Macy’s. They are also going to build several new free-standing buildings on the property. The current Walmart is expected to remain intact and the Marshall's and Ashley Furniture stores are also expected to remain.

But the biggest change they plan to make will be the conversion of the current enclosed mall to a shopping center in which none of the stores are connected by an interior corridor. All store access will come from separate entrances to the parking lot, a fashion similar in design to the nearby Roxbury Mall.





"World-Class Shopping Destination"

“For the last two years, we’ve been carefully designing a plan to transform this prime commercial property into a place where locals can meet, eat and shop,” said Advance Realty Founder and CEO Peter Cocoziello in the statement. “We’re grateful and excited that Roxbury Township supports our vision for the property, and we look forward to delivering a world-class shopping destination.”

The developers said the site’s location is “key to the vision for The Shops at Ledgewood Commons,” noting the property has a “prime geographic location amid a thriving trade area” and is “conveniently located in Morris County on Route 10, a quarter of a mile from Route 46 and two miles from I-80” where more than 100,000 people – with an average household income of more than $125,000, live within a 5-mile radius.

The Partnership of Advance Realty and Debartolo Development bought the failing former Ledgewood Mall property in 2015.

“We could not be more excited to progress to the next phase of our partnership with Advance and begin work on The Shops at Ledgewood Commons,“ said Ed Kobel, DeBartolo’s president and chief operating officer, in the statement. “We look forward to transforming this formerly aging property and adding new energy to this already vibrant corner of Morris County.”

A Roxbury Township official recently said the developers have started signing leases with retailers.



