According to a recent report in the Asbury Park Press, a number of Eatontown residents have filed suit in court looking to overturn the approval for the redevelopment of the Monmouth Mall. 
Litigation is not something new with respect to this project. These residents believe that the Monmouth Mall redesign is looking to turn the 1960s-era shopping mall into a town center called The Heights at Monmouth, which does not reflect the middle class population of Eatontown.
The filing was made on September 27th in State Superior Court, Freehold. The judge assigned to the matter, Monmouth County Assignment Judge Lisa P. Thornton, will rule on concern that the mall redesign will overdevelop the property. The group that filed the suit goes by the name Eatontown Residents for a Greater Monmouth Mall.
The mall’s owners, Kushner Cos. and Brookfield Properties, seek to change the overall footprint of the mall by creating open-air corridors featuring commercial and retail uses, restaurants, entertainment, medical facilities and 700 apartments.
Kushner and Brookfield state that the mall needs to respond to pressures exerted by the surge of online retail sales against traditional brick and mortar stores.
Currently, the Monmouth Mall is the borough’s number one taxpayer, producing over $5 million a year in municipal, school and county taxes.