Wells Fargo has had a branch at Route 35 and Deal Road for at least three decades. It's a building of more than 8,000 square feet with four drive-through lanes. It closed this summer, and the plan to replace it says a lot about where Ocean Township's main commercial strip is heading. The new branch will be 3,530 square feet with a single drive-up ATM lane. A 2,082-square-foot Dunkin' café will go up next to it.
That pattern runs up and down the corridor this fall. A former furniture store near West Park Avenue is becoming a coffee shop. A big-box space at Seaview Square is being partly taken over by a smaller outlet store. A golf retailer moved in with a putting green inside. Big, single-purpose buildings are getting split into smaller places that each do one thing.
The Corner the Zoning Board Called the Most Traveled
The project at Route 35 and Deal Road is called Ocean Commons West. When the township's Zoning Board of Adjustment reviewed it, the board called the intersection "perhaps the most significant and most traveled intersection" in Ocean Township. The board approved the plan from WF Ocean Redevelopment LLC last December.
At the December hearing, the applicant's attorney, Jennifer S. Krimko of Ansel Grimm & Aaron in Ocean, put the plan plainly. "The applicant is looking to demolish that oversized bank, get rid of the full-service drive-through lanes altogether and construct a much smaller bank in generally the same location," she told the board.
For anyone who banked there, these dates matter most:
- June 2026: Wells Fargo announced the Deal Road branch would close later in the summer. It sent customers to its other Route 35 branch at Fairmont Avenue.
- Late September 2026: Maurice Zekaria, president and CEO of developer Paramount Realty, said the old building would be demolished then. As of early October, we haven't found a public report confirming that demolition has started.
- 2028: Wells Fargo told the Asbury Park Press that the new branch will be ready to open that year.
The Asbury Park Press gave the 2028 date for the bank only, and it didn't report any timing for the Dunkin'. Its 2,082-square-foot café will have one drive-through lane. So one corner that once had a bank with four drive-through lanes will have a smaller bank, one ATM lane and one coffee lane. That's still drive-up service, just much less of it.
The Coffee Run Is Moving in Both Directions
The Dunkin' heading to Deal Road isn't new to the area. It's moving from a strip center on Route 35 near West Park Avenue. While one coffee shop leaves that end of the strip, another is on its way in.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is opening a café at 2105 Route 35, at West Park Avenue. NJBIZ reported in July that the franchisees planned to turn an old furniture store on the property into the café. Construction was expected to start later in the summer. It's another big retail space being turned into something smaller and more focused.
The owners are a father-and-son team from Wall, Jim and Tyler Bowman. Their first New Jersey location is in Madison, at 14 Lincoln Place. They opened a Jersey Shore location this summer at 1825 Route 35 in Wall, which held its grand opening July 18. The Ocean Township café will be their third, and they've signed a deal for six locations around the state.
The menu centers on coffee grown in Hawaii, plus blended drinks, energy drinks, lattes, cold brew and tea. There are also breakfast and lunch sandwiches on King's Hawaiian sweet bread, and baked goods.
In June, Tyler Bowman told the Asbury Park Press that the Ocean and East Brunswick locations were planned by the end of the year. In August, a spokesperson told the paper an opening date wasn't available yet. As of early October, we haven't seen a confirmed opening.
Two Dozen Kitchens at the Same Address
The café's future neighbors at 2105 Route 35 are Outback Steakhouse and Wonder. Wonder works a lot like a whole food court under one roof. In February, the Asbury Park Press listed it as coming in April 2026. Its Ocean Township page now lists delivery, takeout and dine-in at the Route 35 address, with online ordering up and running.
Everything on Wonder's current Ocean Township page is ordered from the same counter, including:
- Chef-named concepts: Yasas by Michael Symon, Chios Taverna by Michael Symon, Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson, The Mainstay by Marc Murphy, Walnut Lane by Jonathan Waxman and Bobby Flay Steak
- Pizza: Di Fara Pizza, Alanza Pizza, Detroit Brick Pizza Co. and Pizza Mato
- Global options: SriPraPhai for Thai, Dabba Indian Kitchen, Maydan for Middle Eastern, Kin House for Chinese, Happy Tuna for sushi and Hanu Poke
- Quick picks: Ess-a-Bagel, Fred's Meat & Bread, Tejas Barbecue, Burger Baby, Wing Trip, Pop Salad, Room for Dessert and Bellies, a kids' menu
Wonder updates its brand list on its website, so the lineup may change from what's listed here. Once Bad Ass Coffee opens, one property at West Park Avenue will offer a sit-down steakhouse, a few dozen food options and a coffee shop. That's a lot more variety than a single furniture showroom gave that end of Route 35.
Seaview Square Gets Specialty Stores
Up at Seaview Square, the same idea plays out at a bigger scale. PGA TOUR Superstore opened its fourth New Jersey location there on July 11, with thousands of dollars in giveaways on opening day. The store is at 2353 NJ-66.
The store is 30,000 square feet, and a good share of it is built for trying things out. There's a 1,100-square-foot putting green, two STUDIO bays for lessons and club fitting, practice bays with Trackman launch monitors, and a showroom of golf simulators for home use. Rebecca Charles, the chain's chief customer officer, pointed to the area's golf culture. "With more than 50 public and private courses in Monmouth County and a golfing culture that stretches from shore towns to inland fairways, the region is one of Jersey's most golf-rich communities," she said.
Next up is a Wayfair Outlet. The Asbury Park Press reported in September that the online furniture retailer will open a store at Seaview Square. Coverage puts it at 25,000 square feet, partly in a former big-box space. NJ.com says that space was At Home. WBJB says it was HomeGoods. Either way, a smaller store is going into part of an empty anchor space.
Wayfair spokeswoman Sarah Flakus said the location "will be a Wayfair Outlet, rather than a traditional store." She said the company picked Monmouth County mainly for its "proximity to our fulfillment center, our strong local customer base" and to complement a planned Princeton store in 2027. Reports say it could open this winter. Wayfair plans to announce the official date on its social channels.
Where Each Change Stands This Fall
| Location | What changed | What's next | Timing as of early October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route 35 & Deal Road | Wells Fargo branch closed this summer | Smaller Wells Fargo plus a new Dunkin' café | Demolition targeted for late September; bank opening in 2028; no Dunkin' timing reported |
| Route 35 near West Park Avenue | Dunkin' strip-center location | Dunkin' relocating to Deal Road | Tied to the Ocean Commons West build |
| 2105 Route 35 | Old furniture store | Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii | No opening date announced |
| 2105 Route 35 | Wonder | Already serving dine-in, takeout and delivery | Open |
| Seaview Square, 2353 NJ-66 | PGA TOUR Superstore | Already open | Opened July 11 |
| Seaview Square | Part of a former big-box space | Wayfair Outlet | Possible winter opening; official date to come |
Before the Furniture Outlet Opens, Ocean Township Holds Its Own Resale Weekend
The Township Wide Garage Sale runs Friday, October 9, through Sunday, October 11. Residents sign up through the township's online registration portal. You pick your address from a dropdown, then enter contact details, the days and times of your sale, and the items you're selling. The form lists sale hours as 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and so does the township's event calendar.
Chapter 190 of the township code sets a shorter window for private sales, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It also says items must be stored in a fully enclosed building after those hours. Penalties start at no less than $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second and $100 for a third and any after that. If you plan to sell late on Friday or Sunday, call the township first to confirm which closing time applies, 5:00 or 6:00.
If you're watching the Deal Road corner and wondering how these Route 35 changes might affect what your home is worth, The Katz Team can walk you through it with a human-prepared valuation in 24 to 48 hours. Schedule a Call and we'll talk about what the new corridor means for your street.
