A massive store and dozens of residential units could be coming to a 23.4-acre site in a Morris County suburb.
The proposed “Hanover Towne Center” project is envisioned off Route 10 in the Whippany section of Hanover Township and would include 60 townhome units, a gas station, a 161,581-square-foot “big box discount club,” and 808 parking spaces, according to minutes of the Morris County Planning Board’s June meeting.
“The 60 townhomes are all market rate,” the minutes note.
The supervising planner of the Morris County Planning Board told Jersey Digs that this development involves the old Pine Plaza site, but that the name of the big-box club store is not yet known.
BJ’s Wholesale Club announced plans for a store elsewhere in Hanover Township in 2017, but that proposal did not advance. When asked last week whether the proposed Hanover Towne Center store would be a BJ’s location, a spokesperson for the company said that they “did not submit plans for a location in Morris County.”
Costco Wholesale has long operated a store off Route 10 in neighboring East Hanover, but the company has not yet responded to a request for comment about if they are involved in the Hanover Towne Center plans.
Located at 801-849 Route 10 near the Tiffany & Co. distribution center, Pine Plaza was once like many other strip malls in suburban New Jersey, with occupants over the years ranging from Farmtastic Supermarket and Pathmark to The Melting Pot and Fresh Fusions Superfood Cafe. However, the complex has since emptied out.
Property records show that a company named Hanover Towne Center, LLC bought 801-849 Route 10 in 2020 for $13.55 million and acquired the adjacent parcels at 99 Mount Pleasant Avenue, 851 Route 10, and 859 Route 10 for a combined $2.92 million.
