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Willingboro Town Center and Redevelopment Plan
Willingboro Township is using its authority under the Local Redevelopment and Housing Lay (LRHL), in conjunction with a regional planning effort being undertaken by Burlington County, to redevelop a portion of the Route 130 using the "smart growth" planning strategies emphasized by the State Development and Redevelopment Plan (SDRP).
The center of this effort is Willingboro Plaza; a 56-acre deteriorating open-air shopping center that was established to serve the adjacent Levittown residential community built in the mid-1950s. At its height, the 400,000 square foot shopping center was the commercial focus for the region - boasting Sears, Woolworth's, Fox Movie Theatres as anchor retailers. The center, along with the rest of the Route 130 commercial corridor, began its decline with the construction of Interstate 295, which attracted larger regional malls and "big box" commercial development away from older commercial areas. The property was in foreclosure proceedings by the 1980s and completely vacant by 1990.
Willingboro Township decided to address the economic and aesthetic problems created by the long-abandoned site by designating the area in need of redevelopment and adopted a redevelopment plan that allowed for a Town Center option to be applied to the Plaza site. The plan provides for a mixed-use environment - a combination of commercial, industrial, office, governmental and residential uses - as well as the creation of parks and pedestrian linkages throughout the property and into the neighboring community.
Perhaps the biggest strength of Willingboro's redevelopment plan is its foundation within a larger, countywide strategic planning effort. The county engaged in the multi-jurisdictional planning process to address the physical and economic decline within the communities along the Route 130 and Delaware River Corridors, with an emphasis on redevelopment. It was through the joint planning and visioning process that the idea for the redevelopment area and Town Center at Willingboro Plaza came about.
The Town Center and accompanying redevelopment plan is strengthened by its place within the broader, regional redevelopment plan. Inclusion within the Route 130/Delaware River Corridor Strategic Plan has made the project a priority for county and state agencies alike.
The Town Center concept proved very appealing to one particular developer, ReNEWal Realty, who purchased the property and has begun to redevelop the site. The developer's concept, as approved by the Planning Board, is consistent with the adopted redevelopment plan and the smart growth strategy chosen by the township. It features national retailers, multistory residential construction, a new public library, and an extension of the Burlington County College campus. A fountain and public amphitheater will provide additional civic and public open spaces within the development. Also consistent with the County's regional plan, bus routes and light rail connections will link the new community center with the surrounding region. The innovative development, and Willingboro's use of redevelopment to make it happen, earned the project and the developer a smart growth award from New Jersey Future in May 2002.
Contact: Burlington County Planning Department, Mark Remsa, 609/265-5055