Mr. Alan’s Original Florist, Route 88, Brick Township. (Credit: File Photo)
A plan to convert a much-beloved floral shop in Brick Township, closed since its owner passed away, into a convenience store will be heard by the township’s planning board Wednesday night.
The store that had long served as Mr. Alan’s Original Florist, located at 1881 Route 88 near Jack Martin Boulevard, will be converted to a convenience store through an interior renovation, assuming the application is approved by the board.
The floral shop was owned by Alan Cohen, a Brick Township luminary who ran the shop in different locations for over 50 years and served as Brick Township’s recreation director for 25 years. He died in 2014 at the age of 72. Cohen was also known as a member of the Jaycee’s and the Brick Democratic Club, as well as a commissioner for the Brick MUA and one of the developers of the township’s Summerfest program that continues to this day.
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The 2,400 square foot building is owned by the Dey family, who also own the car wash next door. The business will be operated by Mohamed Alsaadi. According to planning documents, board approval is required – ironically – to eliminate a nonconformity that was allowed in 2004 when the floral shop requested permission to display items for sale outdoors. A convenience store is a permitted use in the B-2 zone, where the building is located.
In a report from the municipal planner’s office, the site was considered to be in poor condition after having been shuttered for so long, with display containers still strewn about the outside and fencing in poor condition. Those items will be improved by the new business owner, who has proposed hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The site contains 12 parking spaces, and there have been no proposals to modify the building itself nor the entrance or egress from the site.
The board is expected to approve the application at its Dec. 11, 2024 meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. in the township municipal complex.
