What was supposed to be a festive ground-breaking, complete with shovels and earth being turned, instead turned into a major embarrassment for a Home Depot developer who did not have the permits in place to construct anything. According to local activist Regina Discenza, the developer, PREIT Services LLC, of Philadelphia, attempted to commence construction on Dec. 9th at their 42 acre site on Route 9 at Sunrise Blvd. It was a great photo opportunity for PREIT, but that’s all it was, because PREIT’s permits were not all in order. Six days later, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection ruled that no work at all could be done on the site. The Mayor of Lacey Township, Gary Quinn, announced yesterday that the project may not get underway until possibly July or August 2006. This would bring the adjusted opening date for the Home Depot and retail center, 299,000 s.f in all, into the year 2007. PREIT first applied for this retail center back in 2002, no doubt expecting an expedited permitting process from local officials. But Discenza and her supporters have kept PREIT out of the ground for more than three years already, with an opening now delayed until 2007.
For more information about how residents of Lacey have held off the giant retailer for three years, contact Concerned Citizens of Lacey at www.nohomedepot.us
