The long-vacant ShopRite supermarket on River Road in Fair Lawn could undergo a dramatic transformation, with plans to convert the grocery box into a Hindu temple, complete with a prayer hall, classrooms and a children's playground.
From Supermarket Shelves to Sacred Space
The redevelopment plan, first reported by Daily Voice, converts the vacant supermarket into a house of worship known as a mandir on the property at 17-17 to 17-77 River Road, which also includes a Walgreens and a strip shopping center. The site is owned by BAPS Clifton Fair Lawn LLC, according to the outlet. The project calls for an entrance portico along River Road and a playground, along with new lighting, landscaping, sidewalks and renovations to the neighboring shopping center.
The ShopRite that once anchored the site closed on June 15, 2023, after the chain relocated to a new store at Fair Lawn's Maple Avenue Plaza, operated by Inserra Supermarkets, according to Wakefern Newsroom. The River Road retail center itself dates back to 1962 and underwent a major renovation in the 1990s, per Jersey Digs. The grocery space sat empty for roughly three years before the deal that put a temple on the horizon took shape.
A $14 Million Deal Behind the Scenes
That deal came together in July 2025, when BSPSS Mid-Atlantic, LLC — an entity affiliated with BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham USA — purchased the 6.45-acre shopping center for $14 million, Jersey Digs reported. The property spans 92,523 square feet across three buildings: the vacant supermarket box, a freestanding Walgreens, and a 14,900-square-foot retail strip anchored by Sherwin-Williams. The Goldstein Group represented sellers 17-77 River LLC and SSM River LLC, while JLL Capital Markets worked with TFE Properties, the parent company of 17-77 River LLC. Cushman & Wakefield represented the buyer, according to The Goldstein Group.
The mandir would primarily host religious activities on Saturdays, generally between 2 and 8 p.m., with spiritual instruction, music and language classes for children and teens filling out the weekend schedule, per Daily Voice.
News 12 New Jersey reported there is no word on when construction is expected to begin. Approved site plans for the complex include an assembly hall with a stage, a commercial kitchen, office space and more than 300 total parking spaces across the property, with existing tenants Walgreens and Sherwin-Williams expected to remain open during the commercial upgrades.
Part of a Bigger BAPS Footprint in New Jersey
The Fair Lawn project adds to a growing New Jersey presence for BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which opened BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville in October 2023 — a campus billed as the largest Hindu mandir in the Western Hemisphere, according to Wikipedia.
The project would extend BAPS' presence into Bergen County.
