Mayor Vic DeLuca, Deputy Mayor Kathleen Leventhal and other township officials, as well as Assemblyman John F. McKeon, hoisted shovels Wednesday morning to ceremonially break ground on a mixed-use residential and commercial building at 1611 Springfield Ave. in Maplewood.

The project, which has been in the works for several years, will feature 5,275 square feet of retail space on the ground floor as well as six apartments on the second floor.

Daibes Gas 14 LLC, a subsidiary of Daibes Enterprises of Edgewater, will construct the building, to be located on a triangular plot of land across the street from the Police & Courts Building and from Walgreens on Burnett Avenue.

Also on hand for the groundbreaking were vice president Danny Daibes and attorney Joseph Vena from Daibes Enterprises.

DeLuca has said the development will help to anchor the eastern portion of Springfield Avenue.