All things come to an end eventually. Pretty sad what this town had become in my opinion. I freakin' drug store across the street from another drug store! Good Lord! Any room for some more gas stations across the street from other gas stations?

So sad to see a hicstorical family owned buisness close only to build another drugstore ( while Welgreens is directly accross from them) & to also build a BRAND new liq. store just down the street ... Very sad to this this go alot of fun time shared there...

So sad, went there every friday night for pizza with my family when I was a child. Why a CVS? Isn't a walgreens rite across the street?

Sniff Sniff

Tabernackle?

sad that only large businesses can afford to stay in business, Very disheartning seeing more & more small mom & pop & shops Or Family run business can no longer exsist... Soon we will have it Exactly the way Obama wants it....

Who cares? It turned into a dirtbag hangout. Let them go somewhere else to smoke their pot.

I found out that some of the new CVS's that were being built elsewhere were incorporating the original building on the property with a new CVS shell. I wrote CVS a couple of time asking if they could preserve the Red Lion facade and incorporate it into their new building. Guess I got my answer. The powers that be won't be happy with this town until it is totally transformed into Paramus south! So let them build and a few years from now vote in blue laws like Paramus has and piss off all the new ratables. Paramus keeps their blue laws, not for religious purposes, but to give the residents of the town a breather from all the shoppers that drive like it's Mecca to the 6,000 malls they have there.

@ Jim M..... WHAT planet fo you live on?

Notice how the graffiti on the CVS sign was photo shopped out?

To stay on the gas station theme, I would like to say that the high price of gas is killing the economy, especially in Brick. How many people have to drive a fairly long distance to work on a daily basis? At $3.50 a gallon or higher what is that costing the average family? On average this could be anywhere from $600 to $800 a month, for some even higher. Now cut the price of gas in half, this should be the actual price anyway, and that leave the average family with $300-$400 a month in disposable income. This money could be used to support our local economy. Instead it goes towards Billions in profits for the oil companies.

Theresa they must have changed the sign. I can assure you we did not photoshop anything out.

can someone photoshop the autozone and get rid of the planning board that allowed that Monstrosity eyesore to take over Brick Township Plaza. Other towns had business deals with them and made them build in keeping with the overall feel of the surrounding archetecture. THE BIG ULGY ORANGE BOX LOOKS LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN THIS TOWN EXCEPT FOR ACROPOLIS' FOLLY. HE SHOULD BE MADE TO DRESS LIKE THE COURT JESTER HE IS - PARADE AROUND ORANGE LAND AND WE WILL TAR AND FEATHER HIM. WHAT FUN IT WILL BE.

Just another example of Brick insanity. Glad I got out of that bedlam.

I wish they would keep the evergreen bell trees on the front of the building.But I know they won't .The birds love them.I think the red light cameras will be there soon!
Sad

Is it true that a Roy Rogers is going where dennys used to be?? N white castle was supposed to come to brick

The Lion used to be a really nice place many, many years ago.. Then it became an okay place. I would have to say that for the last 15 to 20 years it had become a hang out for cockroaches. The 6 legged kind and the 2 legged kind. At least in the bar area of the Red anyway.

It was impossible to cross that street while walking my dog. The traffic is only going to get worse. I hope the town officials address the traffic signals there.

It is very sad to see the Red Lion go. I have so many fond memories of that place ... starting in my childhood.

I don't understand the thoughts of the zoning and town officials allowing this to happen. What about the little card store and the private pharmacy down the street. Do we not care about our own businesses?

Suppose I should start attending town meetings if I care this much.

List of 25 Safest U.S. Cities (From Safest to Most Dangerous):

1. Brick, N.J.
2. Amherst, N.Y.
3. Mission Viejo, Calif.
4. Newton, Mass.
5. Troy, Mich.
6. Colonie, N.Y.
7. Irvine, Calif.
8. Cary, N.C.
9. Greece, N.Y.
10. Coral Springs, Fla.
11. Thousand Oaks, Calif.
12. Orem, Utah
13. Round Rock, Texas
14. Dover, N.J.
Glad to see 2 NJ towns rankes within the safest.... Brick Being #1 say what you want, Its a great place to live & raise children, while it may have flaws, would much rather be here then MANY other towns.... & listen, if you dont like it YOU can leave, BTW most people that live here Do not like the term " bricktucky" IF that is your mentality PLEASE by all means .....MOVE !!! that image that those few are creating is what is the negative image is about...

Brick has a Planning Board? Who knew? Sure can't tell it by the looks of things.

Grew up in "Bricktucky" was a very blue color place, and had lots of memories, but really the Red Lion was always a friggin dump loaded with trailer trash. I mingled with the trash a few times, and was not for me. Would have rather seen something else go there then a CVS. And call it for what it is, Bottazzi is politically connected in town and the stars aligned for him to dump this for a nice bank. So all your memories at that dump are yours to keep, cus no one else seems to give a crap about it, even the owner for 30 plus years. They could have made it a landmark in town, but its all about the BENJAMINS folks. Anyway this time next year, we will be hearing about how CVS is being investigated over distributing prescription drugs.

Snoopy needs a new dive to lay on.....

My guess, working for alot of vendors.... After seeing what I have seen, I have a good feeling this was sold to get out of the debt they where in, MOST invoices that I have come accross where at least 8 months old or long Just NOT paying anything....

Since the issue of gas prices was raised during this debate, I have two real questions that deserve answers, not spin.

1. The Getty station on the corner of Cedar Bridge and Rt 70 sellls gas for between 8 cents and 26 cents cheaper than anyone else in town, as far as I can see, and has been doing so for a very long time. Question: How come anyone in town goes to other stations and voluntarily pays more?

2. I know we like to support our local businesses and a lot of gas stations have been part of our neighborhoods for decades, but why can't they match the lower price ?

Why is the Planning Board to blame? Maybe you should understand municipal land use law before making off the cuff remarks. The area is zoned for commercial use. It wouldn’t matter if five drug stores wanted to go in the area, it's a permitted use and required no variance. The Planning Board legally couldn't deny the application without risking a lawsuit. Then who pays for that? Taxpayers!. They are legally bound to uphold the master plan, which sets the different zones throughout the town. Don't forget the property owner decided to sell and collect the rent on the property. It’s his or her business decision and no Mayor, Council or Planning Board can stop that. We still live in America.

Hopefully the Arrowhead is next to make room for a Rite Aid, then maybe take down the Idle Hour and build a Pep Boys

Now where are the druggies from Cedarwood Park, Cherry Quay, Sky Manore and Shore Acres going to meet to buy and sell their pot, pills, cocaine and heroin?

What has 2 arms, 2 legs, 1 mouth, 2 teeth, no brains, no job, a swollen liver, and smokes.......Give up?.......The average patron from the Red Lion era of 1990 to 2012.

Shop at small business places, like Brick Hardware, or downtown Point Pleasant. I shop in Point for most Christmas and birthday gifts. They are unique and help support the local economy. Any other great small businesses should be shared so people know where to go.

I agree, brick mom 61! Support your local businesses as much as you can. I buy my gas at Sal's Sunoco on Brick Blvd. and go there for repairs also. In the Red Lion Plaza, the card/gift shop there is a wonderful little business! They could not be nicer, and there are quite a variety of gifts that I have bought there for birthdays, etc. The owner is always looking for new items to put in her store. They will help you pick out things, wrap for you...very personal service. I also buy her cards, three for the price of two, even if I can buy them cheaper somewhere else. I WANT her to stay in business! And no, I am not family or a personal friend of either business...just a loyal customer!

What is with all the helicopters this morning. Is anyone else hearing this? I'd say close to a dozen of them in the last hour. My windows are rattling!

Many here are sad to see the Red lion gone, but the truth be told the food had gone downhill over the past few years. But now unfortunately there is going to be a CVS there and there is nothing even the planning board could have done, CVS has every legal right to open there. There are many businesses in town that seem not to belong but there is nothing illegal or immoral with them. We don’t have a main street that looks like a main street what is considered main street looks like crap! What are you going to do?

Looks like they are keeping the facing of the outside?

I would rather see a nice, new, clean CVS building then what the Red turned into. And I'm not gonna miss seeing the kind of people that hung outside there at all hours of the day. But then again, I think most of Drumpoint Rd looks low class.

I'll probably go to the CVS more than the red lion so I'll benefit. we have pictures and documents to educate others about landmarks and history

I don't understand why people complain that Brick has all the stores, and food chains. I happen to love the fact that if I want / need something, I don't have to drive a long distance to get it. Brick has almost everything, except for high end clothes stores, and its all in a short distance drive. If you don't like it go move to Manchester with those bunch of hicks that have no chains or variety of stores. Its a matter of convenience for Bricktonians. And who in the hell came up with Bricktucky ???? Brick is way more up to date, then towns such as Jackson, Manchester or anything south of Toms River. Past Toms River, is where it starts to turn into bumpkin land.

Brick never had much soul- and now it lost just a bit more. The fact that the RL went downhill isn't as important than the fact that its is not being replaced by SOMETHING with a bit of culture... ANY culture. When I saw it closed I thought that maybe it would be fixed up and draw new and better clientele. What a disappointment when I saw the CVS sign. Stop The Insanity is no doubt right about the fact that planning boards can’t just arbitrarily deny businesses legitimate use- but STI also ironically defines the greater problem—That we still live in America- and you can just do whatever you want (if you have money) even if you create a something everyone feels is unattractive and soulless. .If Brick and communities like it continue on their path towards the boring, insipid, cultural banality (brought to you solely by investor constituencies), we will lose out to other more progressive places that will attract the next generation. If you look at the research, younger people (that is not me), more than ever want to drive less and live in spaces that have some central place to commune. If the town’s leadership and planning board can’t do anything to get this place to be a more attractive place to live- what are they here for? We may not want to be NYC, or Red Bank or even Point Borough, but do you really want to find this place completely zombified (even though you might feel like a SAFE zombie)? Culture helps your home value, soullessness hurts it.

they sold for the money, plain and simple !! If they owed money and paid their bills by selling good for them, better than bankruptcy !!! They still have a liqour lic to sell also. They probally saw the writing on the wall with the Brick House doing well and Buffalo Wild Wings was opening also. Soon the old Chevy's will be Quaker Steak & Lube- another wing and beer joint. This was way too much competition for them. Maybe they will put some money into the Red Lion Plaza so thier stores will survive. That place isnt looking that well these days. In the future you will not see me small bar/ restuarants opening, way too much liabilty .