Plans for a ShopRite along Admiral Wilson Boulevard were announced in 2013.
CAMDEN -- Aspirations for a second city supermarket to be located along Admiral Wilson Boulevard are no more, and a Burlington County-based industrial products company will likely be the one filling the footprint instead.
ShopRite has scuttled its plans to become the anchor of the yet-to-be-built Admiral Wilson Plaza opposite the Cooper River. Instead, ACTEGA North America Inc. is in line to receive $40 million in tax breaks if it opts to move from Delran to the same site in Camden City.
"We're no longer pursuing a site at that location," Karen Meleta, who handles corporate communications for ShopRite, said Wednesday of the property previously eyed along Admiral Wilson Boulevard. "Things change and its not uncommon for that to happen as a developer looks to develop a site."
ACTEGA's Grow New Jersey Assistance Program tax incentives were approved Tuesday by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. According to philly.com, the 130,000-square-foot facility would be located in approximately the same area ShopRite had been slated for and the packaging and graphic arts production would create 21 new jobs.
In a statement provided to NJ Advance Media, ACTEGA CEO Mark Westwell said the consolidation of three New Jersey sites to one in Camden will "streamline processes, and further enhance our leading market position."
"From a long-term perspective, we believe ACTEGA will be a strong partner to the City of Camden and its residents through jobs and partner programs," Westell said. "The [Grow New Jersey tax incentive] approval is a big step in a series of additional steps that are required; and remains subject to ongoing negotiations and approvals."
Plans for the 20-acre mixed-use site were announced in spring 2013, thus quenching Camden City of its "food desert" status. A PriceRite has since opened along Mount Ephraim Avenue, but the empty lot along the major route into Camden has sat barren since.
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The store would have been operated and owned by by Supermarkets of Cherry Hill, Inc. and the Ravitz family, respectively. At that time Blue Bell, Pennsylvania-based Goldenberg Development was named project developer.
In a statement Wednesday, Goldenberg Executive Vice President and Development Director Jeremy Fogel said his organization "has been actively working to develop the Admiral Wilson site in Camden to create additional investment and bring new jobs to the region" and that additional details would be shared at an "appropriate time."
"Some elements of our plans are close to being finalized and announced, while we continue to pursue others," he continued, thanking Camden officials for the assistance thus far as Goldenberg hopes to piggyback off the "enormous success over the last few years."
As for Camden city and county residents looking for local options when it comes to fresh food, Meleta said ShopRite was not planning to shift its Admiral Wilson Boulevard plans elsewhere.
However, "We're always evaluating and always looking for site locations," she said.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.