This dying N.J. mall will be torn down to make way for hundreds of apartments
One of New Jersey’s most dilapidated shopping malls will be demolished and transformed into a mixed-use project with hundreds of apartments.
The Raritan Mall, a 10.88-acre property on Route 206 in Somerset County, was approved for redevelopment by the county’s planning board Wednesday night.
The 6-2 vote ends years of redevelopment efforts, including previous plans Rejected by Raritan County Council. Plans for the shopping mall site, built on a former landfill in a flood-prone area, have sparked sustained outcry from local residents due to environmental risks.
Newly approved plans call for replacing the aging strip mall with a five-story, 70-foot-tall building with 276 rental apartments. The complex will include 42 affordable units and approximately 20,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.
Redevelopment of Raritan Mall
A separate one-story building that once housed a bank would remain and be converted to retail use, according to plans submitted by applicant Raritan Mall Urban Renewal LLC.
The affordable housing will help fulfill the county’s obligations under a state law that requires New Jersey municipalities to collectively add or improve multiple housing units. 146,000 affordable units by 2035. Under the authority, Raritan Borough is expected to contribute 99 affordable housing units over the next decade.
Raritan Mall was once a busy shopping center with at least 15 storefronts, but the site has been largely vacant since anchor tenant Stop & Shop closed in 2016. Built on a former landfill in the 1980s, the property has fallen into disrepair due to ongoing environmental and structural problems exacerbated by constant flooding.
Raritan strip mall
A preliminary redevelopment study conducted by the county in 2022 described the strip mall as abandoned and dilapidated due to vandalism, broken glass, mold, exposed nails and significant flood damage. The study stated that pavements were cracked and overgrown weeds covered parts of the parking lot.
Efforts to revitalize the site have met with setbacks in recent years. In 2024, the county council rejected a previous proposal due to concerns about density, traffic and general use.
The project’s turnaround also follows a $100 million lawsuit filed by the property owner alleging a conflict of interest. The case was withdrawn in February 2025.
Drone captures severe flooding from remnants of Hurricane Ida in Somerville and Raritan
Flooding remains one of the biggest fears. The mall is located in a flood-prone area near the Raritan River, which provides drinking water to millions of residents in Central Jersey through New Jersey American Water. During Hurricane Ida in 2021, much of the site, including the mall itself, was flooded.
At Wednesday’s meeting, community members again voiced concerns about this risk, especially during demolition, and the potential for contamination to spread to drinking water.
“This is a bad idea. This is a flood zone,” one resident said during the hearing.
Developers have previously said they received a flood hazard permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection that allowed the project to move forward.
Lawyer Derek Forth, representing the applicant, also acknowledged concerns about the site on Wednesday but said the plan had already been reviewed through various levels of scrutiny, including the court.
“I understand the concern of the public and the board,” he said. “This is a very important area in the city. “It is located on a landfill in an area that was previously flooded.”
He added that the project will help the county meet its affordable housing needs and that the plans still need additional approvals before construction can begin.
“This is just the beginning,” Forth said. “There’s a lot of work to be done from now on.”
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