Meandering w/ Mark Matthews: Xtra Xtra! Read all about it!
Thursday, December 09, 2010
In just a few square block area in and around Bellmawr's main intersection, we had several building eyesores... I noticed recently that there has been significant progress in cleaning up and rebuilding these properties.
Xtra! Xtra! First the big news... We've been looking at this eyesore for way too long, and it has finally started coming down! Sitting on the main gateway into our town, the abandoned Xtra! gas station at Browning Rd and the Black Horse Pike has not been giving the thousands of drivers who use the intersection "a warm fuzzy feeling" about our town.
I had been told a few weeks ago that the plans were in place to demolish the building... with asbestos needing to be removed before the actual demolition started.
Driving home tonight at 8:30pm I saw the start of the demolition, stopped home for the camera and grabbed a few photos. Its a new camera and I am still working out features, but this is the best I could do at 9pm. The retaining wall was mostly down, and the second floor of the building has the start of significant demolition, as does the corner of the core building.
Another "When are they going to move on this" building is just a very short distance away... An
Ed's Carpet Shop has a new rebuilt facade after an accident almost a year ago where a car went across the sidewalk, up the steps, and into the front of the store. The Filacheck's have been residents and business owners in our community for decades. The damaged storefront must've had an impact on business this last year, so be sure to stop in to say hi, and consider them for your flooring needs.
Still hanging out in the same neighborhood, I noticed that the Bellmawr News shop was newly remodeled. The store experienced a fire this year and was boarded up during the July 4th parade. The photo below is also from 2 weeks ago. The signage indicates the store is reopening again as the Bellmawr News Shop and for all I know it could be opened now. If you live in the area, post additional information in the comments!
Lastly... the same person who told me about the Xtra station coming down soon, informed me that the former Heim's Supermarket will be coming down soon. Just a few weeks ago Bottom Dollar took ownership of the property after clearing zoning hurdles. Interestingly, I was told that the zoning issues were brought up by an independent attorney, representing... ?