East Brunswick Plans To Transform The Mall Into A Modern Community

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Earlier this year, East Brunswick designated Brunswick Square Mall and nine neighboring properties on Route 18 as a condemnation redevelopment area.

Since then there’s been much chatter about what’s going to occupy that space with speculation rife that retail may be on its way out.

Brunswick Square Mall, a fixture of the community since the 1970s, is slated for a major transformation as East Brunswick officials move forward with plans to modernize the aging retail center into a mixed-use development.

Recently, Mayor Brad Cohen addressed growing social media speculation about the mall's future, confirming that while the property will remain a retail destination, significant changes are coming to better serve the community's current needs.

"The reality is that the mall is a throwback to the 1970s and it doesn't work anymore," Cohen explained to a resident in “Ask the Mayor anything” session.

"It's definitely in need of repair. The plan is to do what we've done, which is to declare it a redevelopment area."

The proposed redevelopment would maintain the site's retail character while incorporating residential components and community amenities.

According to Cohen, the updated complex would function as "something that works in 2025, not in 1975."

Key elements of the redevelopment plan include:

• Affordable Housing Component: The redevelopment will help East Brunswick meet its affordable housing obligations, with a portion of new residential units designated for this purpose.
• Special Needs Housing: The mayor emphasized plans to include apartments specifically designed for people in the disability and special needs community, addressing what he called "the need to help provide housing in that sector."
• Community Center: Officials are exploring the possibility of incorporating a community center that would serve all East Brunswick residents.
• Mixed-Use Design: The final development would blend retail, residential, and community spaces into what Cohen described as "a large community of mixed uses, of retail, residential, all mixed together in a nice community."

Cohen stressed that no final decisions have been made, and the project remains in early planning stages. The township has designated the mall property as a redevelopment area, which provides municipal tools to guide and incentivize private development that aligns with community goals.

The mayor noted that the redevelopment would fit East Brunswick's existing character as a collection of distinct neighborhood communities, each with its own identity.

"East Brunswick really is just a bunch of smaller communities that each have their own character," Cohen said. "And we wouldn't want the mall property, as it gets redeveloped, to be anything different than what we already are."

The Brunswick Square Mall redevelopment represents the latest effort by New Jersey municipalities to reimagine struggling retail properties, transforming them into vibrant mixed-use communities that better serve modern needs while preserving their role as community gathering places.

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