Lower Saucon's Long-Lost Supermarket: What Should Go Here?

It's been nearly three years since the former Pathmark supermarket in the Saucon Square shopping center on Rt. 378 in Lower Saucon Township closed.

At the time, it was hoped that another retailer would fill the space relatively quickly. But that hasn't happened.

And the closure of the store—which first opened in the late 1990s as a SuperFresh, only to be unsuccessfully rebranded after about a decade of operation—has left a void for many township residents who used to shop there.

The lack of tax revenue has also become a concern for local officials, who late last year approved the formation of a Lower Saucon Township economic development task force to help attract more businesses to the area.

One goal of the task force is to seek input from members of the public.

In the past, some Patch readers have expressed hope that an upscale grocery chain such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's will open a store in the shopping center.

Other readers have said they would prefer a local grocery store—such as Valley Farm Market, which has locations in Allentown and Bethlehem.

In an email shared by a Patch reader, a Valley Farm representative said the company is "always considering new locations" and is aware of the Rt. 378 vacancy.

Another reader said she is under the impression that a fitness center will open in the shopping center in the spring, although that hasn't been confirmed. 

Since 2011, one ray of hope for the beleaguered Rt. 378 commercial corridor in the township was the 2013 opening of Revolutions at Saucon Valley—a large dining and entertainment venue that occupies the former Regal Cinemas multiplex on the other side of the shopping center parking lot from where Pathmark was.

However, several other smaller retail spaces in the center remain vacant, and most have been empty for some time.

A sign posted in the window of the former Pathmark as of Tuesday listed contact information for leasing agent Greg Goldberg of Retail Properties of America Inc. (RPAI), which owns the shopping center and has information about the vacant storefronts posted on its website.

According to its RPAI portfolio page, the shopping center should be attractive to potential tenants because it is "conveniently located on heavily traveled Route 378, serving the affluent community of Lower Saucon Valley."

The average household income of homes within a one-mile radius of the shopping center is $123,881, according to demographic information posted on the RPAI site, which also features photos, an aerial view of the center and other information, such as a property brochure.

What do you envision for the site of the former Pathmark? Would you like to see another grocery store open there, or would you prefer to see a different type of business altogether, such as a gym? If there's a specific business that you would like to see attracted to the area, please specify it in the comments section.

If you have ideas for the new task force being formed to help attract businesses to Lower Saucon Township, please feel free to share those as well.