Raymour & Flanigan hopes to start building in fall. Company bought site nearly two years ago.
By ANTHONY SALAMONE
POHATCONG TWP. | A fence surrounds the place.
A large pile of gravel sits on one end of the site. What’s not seen are signs saying something such as “Coming soon: Raymour & Flanigan Furniture.”
It has been nearly two years since the New York-based retailer closed on the property on Route 22 in Pohatcong Township with plans to redevelop the former Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. While the hotel has been demolished, a new building has not yet risen.
A company official said last week that it hopes to begin construction in the fall.
Meanwhile, motorists and others along the busy corridor of Routes 22 and 122 — not far from Interstate 78 — encounter vacant spots. Besides Raymour & Flanigan, a proposal by Wal-Mart to move into the former Laneco supermarket plaza is in the works.
Township officials believe a lengthy gap in that retailing section, specifically the area of the highway at the Raymour & Flanigan site, is temporary. They noted the former hotel building is gone, and work is progressing at the site.
“As far as the board is concerned (Raymour & Flanigan) received conditional approval,” said Wendy Acevedo, the township’s land use board secretary.
Robert Goltz, CEO of Warren County Regional Chamber of Commerce, said officials contacted the company after noticing no movement for months.
“We made inquiries and heard they are still committed to that site,” Goltz said, referring to Raymour & Flanigan.
Acevedo said the board gave its approval in March on the Raymour & Flanigan project. However, she said, the retailer also needs authorizations from Warren County and New Jersey for road improvements.
One of the township’s conditions also called for the company to complete “grouting,” according to Joe Fischer of Geoscience Services in Bernardsville, N.J. The township hired Geoscience as a consultant.
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He said workers found a large sinkhole and several smaller underground openings. Grouting is when workers inject a mix of cement, sand and water to harden loose material or fill holes, according to Fischer.
He was unsure when the work would be finished. “They are moving through the planning board with as much progress as they can make,” Fischer said of Raymour & Flanigan.
Fischer also said the former hotel was a “light structure” compared with what is being planned. Another reason for the underground work is the hotel’s parking area sustained many cracks and depressions.
“You could see evidence of something going on not bad but extensive,” said Fischer.
Raymour & Flanigan spokeswoman Vicky D’Agostino said the company plans to build a 60,000-square-foot, two-story building.
Asked why the delay in construction, D’Agostino said last week she did not have information available for further comment.
Goltz said the holdup is understandable for reasons such as hiring contractors and dealing with government mandates.
“You don’t want a building up and the next you know the building is sinking in and the foundation is unsettled,” he said.
At one time, former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes of Palmer Township owned the hotel under the name Commodore Inn. It became a Holiday Inn and later Clarion Hotel before being sold and eventually leveled sometime after 2012.
Raymour & Flanigan, which operates a store in Whitehall Township, is based in Liverpool, N.Y. It has more than 70 showrooms in six states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to D’Agostino. It employs more than 4,000 people.
Anthony Salamone can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at tsalamone@express-times.com.
