Applicants propose general-merchandise store at former Rite Aid on Westfield Avenue in Pennsauken
Loading...
Summary
Prospective owners told the Pennsauken Township Committee they plan a general-merchandise store at 4902 Westfield Ave, offering household, school and seasonal goods; the property is in the C1 zone and will require a use variance before the zoning board. Committee members pressed applicants on parking, fencing, trash removal and maintenance plans.
Humana Islam, introduced to the committee by economic development staff, presented a proposal to open a general-merchandise store in the former Rite Aid building at 4902 Westfield Avenue in Pennsauken. Islam said the store would offer health and beauty products, household and school supplies, seasonal merchandise and daily essentials, and would operate seven days a week, roughly 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Economic development staff told the committee the site is in the C1 zoning district and that the applicants will be required to seek a use variance before the Pennsauken Zoning Board. "This site is in the C1 zone, and they will be required to appear before the zoning board for a use variance," staff said on the record.
Islam said the building has a sizable parking lot and that the main customer lot would remain open; she described plans to fence a secondary portion of the property to deter illegal parking and property damage and to post tow signage. "The reason for the fence was that people were parking and throwing trash ... and damaging the property," she said.
Committee members pressed for operational details. Committeeman David (last name given on the record) asked whether the entire store footprint would be used; Islam replied that the layout will largely follow the prior tenant’s configuration and that the space is close to 10,000 square feet as stated on the record. Islam also noted the business operates several locations in the region and cited experience in Newark, Camden and Trenton.
On sanitation and maintenance, applicants said they would use township commercial pickup (once weekly) where available or contract private pickup if required, and that they plan to maintain the property more actively than the prior occupant. They also said there is an existing dumpster/enclosure from the Rite Aid tenancy that they would continue to use.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the proposal. Staff advised the applicants that parking, fencing and any dimensional or parking-count issues would be resolved with the zoning board and through site-plan review. The next procedural step on the record is for the applicants to file for the required zoning variance and appear before the zoning board.
