New Eateries, Fewer Billboards on Wish List For Howell Patch Readers

On Tuesday we asked Howell Patch Facebook readers to comment on "It's a new year, and a chance for improvements. What changes do you want to see in town?" 

Here is what they said: 

• I'd love to see a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's in the vacant plaza!

• I want the township to put in place a Master Plan for improvements along Rt 9. Current store owners should clean up their storefronts. Take some pride in this township!

• I would like to see some new businesses and restaurants opening in the vacant eyesore plazas. Is there any confirmation that ShopRite is coming into the old Pathmark store, and that either Hobby Lobby or Five Below is going into KMart? Those were the rumors I heard floating around.

• Stop building new structures and fill the empty ones we have.

• Get rid of all the new huge eyesore billboards. Who approved those monstrosities.

• I find route 9 to be embarrassing. It really looks like a town that's on the ropes.

• Someone should put a new restaurant where Carinos was. Its just sitting vacant. Big Lots would be good where Kmart used to be. Shoprite would be a plus. I wish Natural Gas wasn't coming down my road.

• WHOLE FOODS

• Moe's, Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden, and less traffic at Route 9 / Aldrich.

• Cleaning up of the town, from the roads, to empty buildings and make it look more beautiful a place where you want to live not keeping getting rundown

• I was disappointed to see these billboards all over Route 9. A uniform building code (appearance) for the dilapidated strip malls would be nice. I've heard from small business owners that it's very difficult to do business here in Howell. 

• Better road side garbage cleanup. So much litter left on the sides of the roads. Sad.

• Bring in some healthy restaurants on Route 9, not fat drive-in food.

• Whole foods!!!

• Fill up the vacant store spaces with quality stores!

• Repave the roads!

• Chipotle!

• Howell needs some good restaurants. Bring in a Buffalo Wild Wings. Bring in a Joe's Crab Shack. Why shouldn't the money go to our township.

• I'd like to see better road conditions. Aldrich Road new paving is in my opinion poor quality. Howell should make them repave it.

• We need a food store between Lakewood & Freehold on 9. Also, a blinking light (at the very least) at the corner of Georgia Tavern & Lemon/Peskin Rds. Toooo many accidents there:(