Progress Made On New Chipotle Restaurant In Belleville

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Progress is being made on a new Chipotle restaurant in Belleville.

Earlier this year, a mixed-use project with apartments and commercial space was proposed on Franklin Avenue. The plans included a Chipotle location as one of the tenants.

Last weekend, Belleville Mayor Michael Melham gave an update about the new Chipotle:

“I know many of you have been waiting patiently, and I’m proud to announce that Chipotle is finally happening here in Belleville. This week I was on-site to see the ground work and site clearing begin. It’s always exciting to watch these projects go from plans to construction. I’m truly honored to serve as your mayor during a time when Belleville is attracting so many national and international brands. At this very site, we already have Starbucks and Wawa, and now Chipotle is on the way. And from what I hear … CAVA and even Trader Joe’s may be next!”

“This is a huge step forward from the ‘no-name tenants and discount stores’ Belleville once attracted,” Melham added. “Economic revitalization takes time, but it’s happening. And it’s happening right here, right now.”

The mayor offered some additional details about the project in the comment section of a social media post.

“Is Trader Joe’s gonna be where Kmart was?” one person questioned.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Melham replied. “The owner of this property has mentioned Trader Joe’s possibly taking the corner location.”

“Any news on what the old K-Mart on Joralemon will become?” another commenter asked.

“Nothing,” Melham said. “The owners don’t communicate often with us.”

Another commenter had a question about traffic in the area.

“Mayor, I’m concerned about Franklin Avenue about the traffic next to Branch Brook Park on the right lane,” they posted. “Will the public works widen the right lane into two to decrease the traffic?”

“It's not our street or intersection, it belongs to the county,” Melham said. “I have long complained about the traffic backup, mostly because they turned an entire lane into a turn only lane into the park.”

When a commenter asked about a possible completion date, Melham said it’s likely a few months after they start building the structure.

“These go up quickly,” he said.

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