The township will continue its efforts to keep the community safe and affordable place in the new year.
Officials want to attract more businesses to Deptford, with some expected to open in the coming months. Last year saw the additions of a tractor supply store and an Aldi grocery store in the former Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Also expected are Nordstrom and Blinds To Go stores, and the mall is also expected to gain retailers that are part of national chains, according to Mayor Paul Medany.
“We want to continue the development success that we’ve had,” he said. “We want to keep Deptford safe and affordable, and this helps with rateables.”
A second movie theater, the Deptford Movies 10, is expected in the fall of 2026. It has been in the works for a decade and will be located across from DHY Motorsports on Clements Bridge Road.
“For 12 years, this has been the location of choice,” said Arthur Helmick, of DWTM LLC, which oversees the project. “We purchased the land some years ago. We have had several obstacles over time, including (fending off) competing plans for the land, COVID and two worker strikes in Hollywood resulting with no product for a few years.
“This past year,” he added, “the (movie business) started coming back. Now … we’re ready to move on with our plans.”
“We want to continue controlling growth in Deptford, such as handling the amount of affordable housing in Deptford,” said Medany. “We work on this on a weekly basis to control our growth.”
Two affordable-housing projects are currently in the works, with more expected come in the new year. The township is working with both the school district and the state on those. Officials also want to update public safety by hiring more police officers – five came on board in 2025 – and improving code enforcement.
Infrastructure improvements are also planned, along with an increase in government services and improvment in existing ones.
