Modell’s, the northeastern sporting goods retailer with more than 100 retail locations, is coming to Bordentown Township.
Bordentown Township officials announced on Jan. 10 that they had met with Modell’s Sporting Goods, a newly contracted primary tenant for the Matrix Warehouse located at the intersection of Georgetown and Old York roads. The announcement from municipal officials came after the sporting goods retailer planned to move its primary distribution center from New York to Bordentown.
Officials said the company is planned to occupy approximately 55% of the 312,000 square-foot Matrix facility. Matrix Development Group has yet to announce another tenant for the remaining 45% of the building.
Upon the announcement of the retailer’s move to Bordentown, Stephen Benowitz, the mayor of Bordentown Township, said he was pleased to welcome the tenant to the area as well as its initial plans for tractor trailers to traverse on Old York Road instead of Georgetown Road amid residents’ concerns about the new location.
“The township is happy to welcome Modell’s to Bordentown,” Benowitz said in a statement. “In our meeting, the representatives from Modell’s made it clear that they are interested in being good neighbors and good corporate citizens. Most importantly, they confirmed that their tractor trailers will be utilizing Old York Road, and not Georgetown Road, for all entrance and exits to the facility.
“This will alleviate the concerns that the township many residents had about increased truck traffic on Georgetown Road,” Benowitz said.
Officials said the township advocated during the planning board approval process for all truck access to be restricted from using Georgetown Road. However, due to both Georgetown and Old York roads being under Burlington County jurisdiction, officials said the township could not “mandate via planning board approval the preferred truck routes.”
According to officials, Modell’s recognized the issues involved with trucks navigating Georgetown Road, and “gladly agreed” to Benowitz’s request to have all tractor trailers use Old York Road, exclusively.
“They recognized the potential traffic issues, and quickly and voluntarily offered to mandate all their tractor trailers stay off Georgetown Road,” Benowitz said. “This is a very positive outcome for the residents who live on Georgetown Road and for the communities that are serviced by Georgetown Road.
“The township will continue to work with the developer and all current and future tenants to ensure these safety measures are enforced. We are also still advocating for further truck restrictions and traffic calming measures on Georgetown Road through all federal, state, and local channels.”
