Paramus ice cream seller grateful for community support: Video
Monica Pidhorecki, also known as the “Paramus Ice Cream Lady,” recently lost one of her ice cream trucks in a fire that also destroyed part of her house.
More than two years after the Stop & Shop on Route 17 in Paramus closed its doors, there is finally someone interested in taking its place: Costco.
Mayor Chris DiPiazza said Thursday that the major retail chain has submitted an application to the county’s Planning Board to move to the old supermarket property at 859 Route 17 South, where it would also replace a defunct Kmart. The first hearing on the proposal is tentatively scheduled for early October, the mayor said.
If the board approves, the retailer aims to open by spring 2026, he added.
DiPiazza said his review of the submitted plans showed the building’s footprint would remain unchanged. He said the application does not include any gas stations.
“This is important for traffic reasons,” he said.
According to the mayor, Costco would be a welcome addition to the district and would revitalize a vacant lot by attracting a similar store to the one that already exists there.
“Having good, popular retailers on our highways only benefits the city and the tax base,” DiPiazza said. “We’re excited.”
Stop & Shop closed the Route 17 store in January 2022 after the supermarket chain undertook a “difficult” review of the operational performance of its locations. The company had received approval from the Paramus Planning Board in 2019 to renovate the store as part of a redevelopment that would have also brought Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, Applebee’s and Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas to the site. But the plan never came to fruition.
Stephanie Noda is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news in your local community, subscribe or activate your digital account today.
E-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: @snoda11
