Plans advance in Evesham to develop vacant plaza

After years of being an eyesore to Evesham residents and those traveling along Route 70, the Tri-Towne Plaza will be transformed from a lot of vacant storefronts to a $25 million shopping center and apartment complex.

Evesham Mayor Randy Brown, in a Tuesday news conference, boasted that once the project was completed, the location, which would be renamed the Shoppes at Renaissance Square and the Residence at Renaissance Square, could potentially be "the most active site in Evesham Township."

The mayor noted it had been a long process to reach an agreement with the property's owner, RD Management of New York, about what should be done with the 20-acre site. The township had threatened to use eminent domain to seize the land before recently reaching the project agreement.

"I didn't think this day was going to come, but I'm very glad it did," Brown said. "We're on the same page. We're moving on to next year."

Richard Birdoff, a principal of RD Management, said he originally saw the site as a purely retail location and had not put much thought into building a 100-unit apartment complex. (Two four-story buildings have been proposed.) However, the mayor's office changed his mind. "Now I'm able to appreciate the potential of a mixed-use project," he said. "A site known for retail uses should and would be used for more."

Developers and residents alike hope that part of the 180,000 square feet of retail space will include another grocery. Birdoff said that no retailers had been contracted yet, but that some have already started discussions with his team about moving in to the Tri-Towne Plaza. The last store moved out of the plaza a year ago.

No construction will happen until the township council and the planning board approve the plans for the site, though Brown said he was confident that the project, which will be completely funded by RD Management, could start next year.

"I would be hopeful that by early spring," Brown said, "we will have shovels in the ground to begin construction."

The township offered payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) as an incentive for RD Management to develop the property. Brown said that they were still months from an exact agreement about what kind of tax cuts the developer would receive, but added that "it is understood that they will have some sort of a five-year PILOT."

Birdoff said the project would benefit the township, creating about 300 construction jobs, more than 100 permanent jobs, and even more part-time jobs once completed. The mayor said the new Renaissance Square project would be adding $60 million in ratable value to the site, which could potentially lower the township's property taxes.

While some Evesham residents are excited about the economic growth and cleaning up the eyesore of the plaza, which formerly housed a K-mart, Sears, and Super Fresh, other locals are apprehensive about the traffic it could create, posing potential danger for children playing in the nearby housing developments.

Brown said he was working with the Evesham Police Department to create a safe traffic plan for the space, which would be "walkable." "I never let traffic inhibit growth," he said.

"It's just about time. It's been vacant for so long," said Jinny Keller, an Evesham resident who lives near Tri-Town Plaza. "We're excited."

Source: Philly.com