The winter weather has caused some delays in the completion of the demolition work at Princeton-Hightstown and Cranbury roads, originally expected to take one to two weeks.
But but construction crews are moving along with work, said Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh. On February 3, most of the demolition had been completed. Crews were seen knocking down the sole remaining building at the end of the intersection.
Hsueh said that county officials are also involved in the process to bring the entire site down to street level. Princeton-Hightstown Road (Route 571) is a county road.
“According to the permits, they have to bring all of the buildings down, and they have to remove the dirt to make sure it is level with the street,” said Hsueh. “They estimate around 300 truck loads of the dirt still have to be removed.”
Construction workers hired by Rite Aid officials began work last month to demolish the two vacant, boarded-up buildings, which have been viewed as the eyesore of the property lining the gateway into the township.
The Dreher Group, based on Nassau Street in Princeton, received approvals to construct a Rite Aid on the site but is no longer associated with the project. Plans call for a 14,673 square foot Rite Aid, and an additional 6,000 feet of retail space that could include a coffee shop and a restaurant.
However, the Rite Aid construction team is constructing the pharmacy only at this time. Reports estimate that the new Rite Aid may be able to move in this summer.
Hsueh emphasized that the property is privately owned and no township finances are used to fund the demolition. “This all has to be paid for and financed by Rite Aid.”
