It’s been 11 months since state and local officials – including Governor Phil Murphy – broke ground on the new ShopRite on Baltic Avenue in Atlantic City, but not much has happened since, at least not visibly. At the time, Governor Murphy said he was told by ShopRite Operator Bill Sumas the store would be open within a year (other supermarket staff said it would be closer to two years).
The store was hailed as an end to Atlantic City’s status as a food desert, and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) approved spending $18.7 million on building the project. However, earlier in October several sources with the CRDA, the state and city did not respond to the Press of Atlantic City’s request for comment, until a spokesperson for Village Super Market, Sumas’ company, released a statement saying “we are committed.”
“We’ve made significant investments in the site including completing engineering and architectural plans, securing zoning approvals and completing excavation, remediation, utility and storm and sewer work at the site,” the statement explained. Construction issues including supply chain challenges were then cited as a reason for the delays. No timeframe for completion was given.