MILLVILLE, NJ-If three separate big-box shopping center proposals by two different developers come to fruition, the South Jersey landscape would gain upwards of 1.2 million sf of new retail space. The largest of the three is a 500,000-sf project proposed here by Goodman Properties.

It's also arguably the most interesting because it involves a land swap with the local board of education. At a special meeting this week, the board voted to approve that swap, under which it would sell eight acres adjacent to a middle school to the Jenkintown, PA-based Goodman Properties. The latter would give the board more than 15 acres on the other side of the school, as well as $500,000 in cash. Because it involves school board-owned land, the deal still has to be okayed by the New Jersey Department of Education.

After the vote, board president called the deal a "win-win." Millville Mayor James Quinn estimates that the shopping center will be a ratable of more than $70 million, generating about $1 million a year in property taxes.

While specific plans haven't been released and no tenant signings have been announced, Goodman officials say they're going after such retailers as Target, Kohl's and Circuit City, among others. The land swap deal also calls for a traffic study that would lead to a variety of access improvements. Actual work is expected to start next year.

The other two projects, both proposed by Angeloni Development LLC of Marlton, would add up to more than 650,000 sf of big-box space in Mt. Laurel and Pennsville Township. The Mt. Laurel project involves a 68-acre site along Route 38, and, besides a 222,500-sf Wal-Mart, it would include a 135,000-sf Sam's Club, along with a separate 70,000-sf convenience center. Three retail pad sites are also part of the scenario. A public hearing on the project scheduled for last month has been rescheduled for mid-September. Developer James Angeloni could not be reached for comment.

Angeloni's other project, in Pennsville Township, Salem County, is smaller but also includes a Wal-Mart of more than 222,000 sf. The 77-acre project, situated along Route 49, would include other retail tenants, but specific plans have not been released. An earlier proposal by Angeloni had Wal-Mart teaming up with Home Depot, but the latter is out of the equation. Currently vacant, the site is currently owned by a Maryland-based family.