SportsDome Construction Underway In Brick At Last

BRICK, NJ — When Foodtown was demolished in late 2009, the hope was that it would be replaced with something better in short order.

More than 15 years later, the site is finally receiving its full makeover.

The SportsDome project that has been subject to multiple delays is underway on the rear part of the property, a long-awaited addition to the Aldi on the front of the site.

A ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony was held June 12 with Mayor Lisa Crate and council members Heather deJong and Melissa Travers in attendance along with officials from SportsDome.

The sports facility, which is privately owned, is expected to include indoor athletic fields, a basketball center, wellness facilities, a daycare center and other offerings inside. A sand volleyball court was in the plans outside, along with a walking path. The company has a page on its website for the Brick facility but no details as of June 23.

The building originally was planned as a dome with a bubble top, but issues with fire safety and a need for a sprinkler system forced the owners to redesign it.

Brick Township bought the property in 2003 to prevent construction of a large home improvement store. The town then signed a redevelopment agreement that initially was to turn the property into a hotel, but the redeveloper, M&M at Route 70, backed away from the hotel plan and instead wanted to build residential units.

In 2014, Brick Township sued to terminate the redevelopment agreement with M&M because of the insistence on a residential development. That led to legal wrangling until early 2017, when township officials and M&M reached a settlement. The plan to turn the parcel into a sports complex and retail site was announced soon after. It received approval from the state Department of Transportation in September 2017, and the Brick Township Planning Board approved the site plan in May 2019.

The remainder of the permitting process took two years, and in the midst of the pandemic, the investors originally involved in the sportsdome stepped away and new investors came on board.

Brick Township turned over ownership of the site in 2021.

The developer of the sports facility also sought and received approval for a tax abatement for the $13.1 million project to help finance it. The approval of a payment in lieu of taxes — known as a PILOT — for 30 years was controversial because the township did not promise to share the payment with the Brick Township Schools. PILOT agreements usually deprive school districts of property tax funding because the entity pays the town a set amount that is not affected by the school tax rate.

An estimated opening date for the SportsDome was not available, but Crate has said previously that it is hoped it will be completed and open later in 2025.