November 13, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Wyckoff Supermarket suit to be heard in Superior Court by John Koster Stop & Shop’s lawsuit against the Wyckoff Planning Board and Inserra ShopRite has been scheduled to be heard in Bergen County Superior Court starting on Jan. 29, but Wyckoff Planning Board Attor- ney Joseph Perconte said last week the case might not end in 2014. “There’s two more avenues to pursue before the appeal is exhausted,” Perconte said last week. These, he said, are the appel- late division, and the New Jersey State Supreme Court. Stop & Shop, joined by the manage- ment of the Boulder Run Shopping Center, argued that the Inserra ShopRite should not be permitted because the Wyckoff Plan- ning Board erred in granting a unanimous approval to the proposed supermarket after two years of hearings. A number of residents said that the protracted hearings were a stall tactic on the part of the Stop & Shop supermarket because ShopRite, which would be located near the Stop & Shop supermarket on a lot that has been vacant for a dozen years, would be a competitor. “Inserra Supermarkets has been, and continues to be, unwavering in our commit- ment to bring ShopRite’s quality, service, and brands to the Township of Wyckoff,” said Lawrence Inserra Jr., president of Inserra ShopRite. “The overwhelming support of local residents throughout the three-year public hearing process, and the unanimous support of the (Wyckoff) Town- ship Planning Board inspire and motivate us every day. “Township residents, officials, local business owners and development experts agree -- a supermarket is the most appro- priate and best use for this site. Replacing a distressed, outdated supermarket that won’t meet today’s occupancy standards for safety, with a new, modern, ShopRite designed to reflect the character of Wyckoff, is the ONLY solution for this site.” This spring, the Wyckoff Planning Board and Inserra ShopRite were advised that they were being sued in Superior Court of New Jersey by Stop & Shop Supermarket Company and Munico, otherwise known as the Hekemian Company, which owns the land on which Stop & Shop sits. The two litigants want to have the court void the approvals that would make it pos- sible for ShopRite to construct a new 62,174 square-foot supermarket on the long-vacant A&P site, just uphill from the Boulder Run complex where Stop & Shop is located. The Wyckoff Planning Board had voted approval on the Inserra plan, as amended after a two-year hearing process, and about 80 percent of the Wyckoff residents who spoke at two public comment sessions said they approved of the concept of a second supermarket in Wyckoff. The remain- ing 20 percent were split between people who wanted a smaller store and those who wanted no supermarket. (continued on page 22)