A 500-member senior citizen nonprofit group says it has been forced to leave its space at the former Monmouth Mall to make way for the site’s ongoing transformation into an open-air shopping center.
The Senior Citizens Activities Network, or SCAN, has operated out of the basement of Monmouth Mall since 1988, offering programs to hundreds of seniors from Monmouth and Ocean counties.
When redevelopment of the aging mall began last year, the nonprofit group was told it was allowed to remain in its 3,800-square-foot, lower-level classroom space through the end of the year, according to Michael Ciavolino, SCAN’s executive director.
But Ciavolino said the space has become “completely uninhabitable,” forcing the organization to vacate before the end-of-year deadline with nowhere to go.
“They turned off all the power with one hour’s notice,” Ciavolino said Wednesday. “There is a constant stream of heavy equipment and machines rumbling around the space every day. It’s literally a war zone.”
The mall developers seems to be trying their best to put a ”36-year-old nonprofit out of business,” he added.
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Kushner Companies, the New York-based real estate firm redeveloping Monmouth Mall, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kushner Companies is owned by the family of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump‘s son-in-law.
A transformation of the 65-year-old mall in Eatontown began last year with plans to tear off part of its roof, remove major stores and reduce the mall’s 1.5 million square feet of retail space by 40%.
The firm plans to turn the regional mall into an open-air destination called Monmouth Square. The project will include a mix of stores, restaurants, 1,000 new luxury apartments, and 115,000 square feet of medical office space. Whole Foods, a fitness center and four other eateries have already been announced.
The revamped Monmouth Square will include 1,000 new luxury apartments, restaurants, walking paths, and event space, as seen in this project rendering from Kushner Companies.Kushner Companies
According to Ciavolino, Kushner representatives have not met with SCAN officials about their concerns during the redevelopment. The organization is now operating entirely remotely after its classroom space at the mall became unusable.
SCAN was created to give the 55+ community in the area a place to stay active, social and connected. The organization offers economic resources and programs in education, health, languages and the arts.
“The irony here is that my 500 senior members that they are disenfranchising and disrespecting are the exact audience they will be marketing to in a year from now when their new apartments open,” Ciavolino said.
While some anchor stores like Macy’s, AMC Theatres and Boscov’s remain open, entire stretches of the mall, including the former JCPenney and Lord & Taylor locations, were slated for demolition.
As of earlier this week, SCAN has a few leads on potential new locations for its programming. But nothing has been finalized, according to its executive director. The nonprofit group is seeking financial support to help with the transition to a new space.
“Losing our home puts those connections and the well-being of our members and Monmouth County’s neediest seniors at risk,” Ciavolino said.
The rebranded Monmouth Square will undergo a "de-malling" to convert its remaining retail spaces into open-air configuration, as seen in this project rendering from Kushner Companies.Kushner Companies
Stories by Nyah Marshall
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