West Orange Planning Board Approves Trader Joe’s Move into Mount Pleasant Plaza

The West Orange Township Planning Board voted to approve plans allowing Trader Joe’s to retrofit approximately 18,800 square feet of the Main Retail Building at Mount Pleasant Plaza, 457 Mount Pleasant Avenue, during its February 4, 2026 meeting. The board’s approval clears a major planning hurdle but company officials have not set an opening date.

Planning documents filed under PB Application 25-10 describe the space to be converted as 18,767 square feet in several local reports while the West Orange memorandum uses the rounded figure of approximately 18,800 square feet; the application also proposes using a 1,522-square-foot mezzanine solely for mechanical equipment. The retrofit will occupy part of the plaza’s roughly 29,000-square-foot Main Retail Building and will replace the former Metropolitan Plant Exchange tenant.

The application calls for demolition of an approximately 8,980-square-foot greenhouse west of the main building that had been associated with Metropolitan Plant Exchange; that cleared area will be converted into additional surface parking. The planning memo lists 165 current surface spaces and proposes adding 19 new spaces - including four ADA-designated spots and four EV charging spaces - bringing the total to 184 surface spaces or 188 including an EV credit noted in the memorandum. The site plan also shows restriping, new sidewalks and curbs, landscaped islands, and upgraded lighting.

Traffic and safety conditions were central to the board’s approval. Fire officials raised concerns about large delivery vehicles near the nearby firehouse, and the applicant committed to routing Trader Joe’s delivery trucks to the main Route 10 and Pleasant Valley Way entrances rather than using Mount Pleasant Place. The company also agreed to add striped fire lanes, additional signage and circulation markings; accommodate senior jitney drop-offs near the entrance; and provide benches for riders waiting for transportation.

Planning Board Chair Robert Bagoff called the proposal “adaptive reuse of an existing structure,” saying the project “fills vacant space while improving circulation, landscaping and wayfinding at the site,” and he made the motion to approve with conditions. West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney welcomed the retailer, saying, “I’m grateful to Trader Joe’s for the substantial investment they’re making in our town. I know they’re community minded and how well they treat their employees. I welcome them to West Orange and thank them for their investment.” Council President Susan Scarpa said the proposal “looks like a wonderful plan.”

The application package filed with the board includes twenty sheets of site plans by Bohler Engineering, traffic control plans prepared by Paul B. Going, P.E. of TPD dated December 10, 2025, and five architectural sheets by Jeffrey Taylor Architects dated December 12, 2025; the filing transmittal letter was submitted by attorney Howard D. Geneslaw of Gibbons P.C. Planning staff reviewers Malvika Apte, P.P., AICP and Langley Oudemans prepared the December 30, 2025 memorandum that summarizes these materials.

Local outlets noted the West Orange store would give Essex County shoppers a closer option to the region’s only current Trader Joe’s in Millburn, and NJ reporting said Trader Joe’s confirmed a new Montvale location while considering other New Jersey neighborhoods. Multiple reports emphasize that no projected opening date or employment figures have been released as of the week of February 17, 2026.