Monroe shoppers get a Lidl good news; discount grocer approved after long delays
MONROE TWP. — A proposed Lidl grocery store is out of state court and back on the construction list here after a nearly three-year legal fight.
In January 2021, Lidl US Operations had proposed a 28,179-square-foot store for the corner of North Black Horse Pike and East Lake Avenue. Approval came that March from Monroe planners, but a lawsuit to void the approval was filed that June against Lidl and the township.
Property owner John Bowers Jr. said on Friday that the grocery store is going ahead now based on a favorable February 14 appellate court decision. The decision upholds a lower court ruling that the township Planning Board approval for Lidl was valid.
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“They should be closing on the property soon and building a store,” said Bowers, a Red Bank businessman. “So, that’s the best I can tell you. You can speak to Lidl and get the rest of the story.”
Bowers said nothing needs to be resubmitted to Monroe. “It’s been a long trip,” he said.
The board was briefed on the appellate decision Thursday night. After the meeting, Mayor Gregory Wolfe said the township is waiting to hear from Lidl.
Lidl did not respond immediately to a call for comment on Friday.
The new Lidl site would be at 1020 North Black Horse Pike (Route 42), a commercial district where grocery stores are permitted. The store would be built on about 6.2 acres, land subdivided from a roughly 7.2-acre property containing an existing bank.
The plaintiff and appellant in the lawsuit was a neighboring property owner, Anthony DiMauro. DiMauro, a Herbert Boulevard resident, was represented by attorney Jeffrey Brennan. Brennan did not immediately respond to a call for comment on Friday.
Lidl requested and was given a re-hearing before Monroe planners in January 2022. That was a move meant to “cure” anything that might have been done improperly in its March 2021 hearing. The board again unanimously approved the application, but the litigation continued.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Lidl store on Black Horse Pike in Monroe Township is clear to go
