First Phase Of Project To Build Apartments At Mall Begins, Former Boscovs' To Come Down Soon

Preparations to ready part of the Oxford Valley Mall complex in Middletown Township for more than 600 upscale apartments is getting underway.

Earlier this week, crews began clearing trees and ripping up pavement and other infrastructure from the parking lot of the closed Boscov’s. Work will soon commence to tear down the former Boscov’s.

The rest of the mall is staying up and open, but the project is the first of what many hope will be future redevelopment for the site of the mall, which is owned by Simon Property Group.

David Della Porta, a partner for apartment developer CornerstoneTracy, said the work being seen at the site is just the first steps in constructing the first phase of the two-phase residences project.

“Our plan is to create a walkable residential neighborhood at the south end of the mall, which will offer exceptional amenities and services to the residents. The first phase contains 391 apartment units with a wide range of unit types, sizes and features including gourmet kitchens, balconies, mudrooms with washer/dryer, high ceilings and lots of light,” Della Porta told LevittownNow.com.

The first phase is expected to be finished in a little more than two years, with the first units being completed within 18 months.

The second phase that includes 223 units is slated to begin construction in 2023.

The partner in the Villanova-based development firm that has constructed similar projects in the region said the amenities at the site will include a resort-style pool, outdoor kitchen and dining areas, a clubroom, media room, fitness center, and dog wash.

“It will be like living in a boutique hotel environment with concierge services,” Della Porta said.

Township officials have said in recent months that they expected construction to begin by late summer, meaning the project is on schedule.

The 614 apartments will be spread across two multi-story buildings that will each feature a parking garage at the presently vacant site.

The demolition of the former Boscov’s will add open space and clear room for possible future retail development abutting the complex.

Della Porta said the footprint of the former Boscov’s store won’t be redeveloped by CornerstoneTracy. However, previous plans have indicated eateries are eyed for that location.

When the development was approved in 2020, the developer and mall agreed to add shuttle service to and from the nearby Woodbourne Train Station for residents and mall shoppers.

A traffic engineer said the developer will improve the access to the mall and apartments by adding modern, interconnected traffic signals along Fourth Street, which intersects with Woodbourne Road.

The apartments are the first part of a plan by mall-owner Simon Property Group to redevelop the 1,336,000-square-foot shopping complex. The company, as LevittownNow.com exclusively reported in 2019, is looking to upgrade the 190-acre property to accommodate changes to business and shopping habits.

Sources with knowledge of the mall plans have said Simon Property Group representatives have held meetings with potential partners interested in additional redevelopment at the mall.

The mall was constructed in 1973 on farmland and a sod airfield. It thrived early on and saw a large renovation in the late 1990s. The building has just under 150 stores and sits next to the 115,000-square-foot, eight-story One Oxford Valley office building. The nearby Lincoln Plaza shopping area on East Lincoln Highway is also part of the mall complex.

A file photo of the Oxford Valley Mall.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

During public discussion on the apartment proposal in 2019, Scott Richardson, vice president of development at Simon Property Group, said the apartments will create an “exciting opportunity” to reuse an empty portion of the property while pushing forward potential future additional mixed-use development at the mall.

CornerstoneTracy, the developer of the upscale apartments, has completed similar projects in Chester and Montgomery counties, including near the King of Prussia Mall. The developer is set to break ground a mixed-used complex at the site on the former Doylestown Intelligencer building in Doylestown Borough within the next 60 days and another in Newark, Delaware.