Beachwood Plaza demolition begins

It would have been 56 years old this year, but years of decay rendered the former Beachwood Shopping Center in Berkeley Township obsolete. And years of delay in permitting, negotiations, legal actions and environmental concerns ended today when cranes began biting into the upper sections, fast-tracking demolition.

Once-thriving shop spaces had been gutted, and asbestos removal continues. The Berkeley Times says that Piscataway-based Edgewood Properties is tasked with leveling the structures, and might be done within six weeks.

The shopping center was built in 1959 by entrepreneur Jimmy Johnson, and was in the vanguard of suburban one-stop merchandising hubs that began to dot the landscape as automobiles moved commerce away from downtowns.

The tract on which it sits has been in Berkeley Township's sights for redevelopment for most of the last decade, as part of a larger proposal to centralize commerce.

Demolition signals a resolution of terms with property owner Priscilla Oughton, and for township officials, a fresh start.