Massive Sports Store With Turf Field Pitched For Cherry Hill Mall Lot

CHERRY HILL, NJ — An office building will get demolished in place of a massive sporting goods store with an outdoor turf field in a proposed development on Cherry Hill Mall's property.

The two-floor store will also feature a rock-climbing wall, batting cage simulator and other indoor recreation. If approved, the business will replace the nine-story office building that has stood in Cherry Hill Mall's parking lot for decades.

PREIT, the mall's parent company, is scheduled to pitch the store Dec. 5 at the Cherry Hill Zoning Board's meeting.

So far, PREIT has not publicly revealed which sporting goods retailer would occupy the space.

"Other than confirming building demolition is planned, there is nothing else PREIT can share at the moment," a company spokesperson told Patch.

Cherry Hill One — the office building slated for demolition — is located just outside of the main mall. It was built in the late 1970s, according to township documents.

The proposed sporting goods store would have a footprint of 60,000 square feet. With two floors, it would be 120,000 square feet overall.

The adjoining outdoor area, with a synthetic surf field surrounded by a track, would add 18,500 square feet. Customers will be able to test out their purchases in the outdoor area, which will also be a venue for sports clinics and local events.

A 36-foot-tall fence would surround the outdoor facility.

Once the project is complete, Cherry Hill Mall's parking lot will have a few more parking spots than before. But 230 spaces will be eliminated during demolition and construction.

Cherry Hill Mall has more than 5,000 parking spaces, according to township documents.

The main store will be 58 feet, 4 inches tall, which exceeds the zone's maximum building height of 35 feet. As a result, PREIT approval from the zoning board to exceed that figure.

The zoning board notes that the proposed store is less than half the height of the current office building.

Despite plans to add some parking spaces, PREIT will also need a variance to reconfigure the parking lot.

The zoning board meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5. It will be conducted remotely. Click here to see how to access the meeting on Zoom or by phone.