The new 36,000-square-foot store would be located on a 6.2-acre parcel along Route 9.
LACEY TOWNSHIP - A German grocery store chain with approximately 10,000 stores in more than two dozen Europe counties reportedly plans to open a store in Ocean County as one of its first U.S. locations.
Lidl, which is pronounced like "leedle", has previously said it plans to open 100 stores in the United States, with stores along the East Coast possibly opening by 2018.
On Monday, the township's Planning Board gave conditional approval to Lidl to open a nearly 36,000-square-foot store with just shy of 200 parking spaces on 6.2 acres at the intersection of Route 9 and Haines Street, the Asbury Park Press reported.
The developer agreed to add taller evergreen trees, fencing and sidewalks along the property, as well as pay for a share of a new traffic light on Haines Street, as conditions of the approval, the report said.
Lidl is a competitor of Aldi, another German-based supermarket, but has not opened any stores in America while Aldi has been in the country since 1973.
The Lidl stores are laid out similarly to Aldi, where products are sold in cases and where there is an emphasis on store brand items. The stores are also generally smaller than other supermarkets, offering approximately 2,000 items compared to other places that might have 30,000 items.
The Lacey Township location would join other planned nearby locations in Millville, Philadelphia, Burlington County and Hazlet.
Hazlet's Land Use Board approved a 36,000 store with 180 parking spaces along Route 35, near Poole Avenue, according to meeting minutes.
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.