Plans For Controversial Costco In Cherry Hill Approved

CHERRY HILL, NJ — After a meeting that began at 7:30 p.m. and ended in the wee hours of the night, the Cherry Hill Township Planning Board approved a preliminary and final major site plan to bring a 154,000-foot Costco store to Cherry Hill.

The final vote was 7-2, with board members Alise Panitch and Sheila Griffith voting against the approval, the Courier Post reports. Panitch cited the possibility of bringing the lowest gas in the region to the former Garden State Park racetrack. The plans include a nine-pump gas station, and separate 4,500-square-foot and 15,500-square-foot stores.

The proposal to transform the racetrack first came up in 2002, when 1.4 million square-feet of office space and a 150-room hotel were proposed for the site, njpen.com reports. With neither of these things becoming reality, Panitch and Griffith, and members of the public, are concerned the project looks nothing like that “transit-oriented development.” Two additional traffic signals and a new 30-foot wide railroad crossing were also part of the discussion, causing some concern about traffic congestion.

Karl Pehnke of Langan Engineering & Environmental Services conducted a traffic study that concluded Costco would account for between 2,000 and 2,500 less trips during the week, but an increase of 300 to 400 cars on the weekend, according to the report.

There is also an active lawsuit that could impact the project. ShopRite filed the suit last year, claiming the township council approved an ordinance tailored to Costco’s needs, philly.com reports. A ShopRite owner told the newspaper that if the ordinance is struck down as a result of the lawsuit, the planning board’s actions would become void.

In response to critics, township council has said there are 27 lots within the existing zone big enough to allow a gas station to be built for accessory use, the Cherry Hill Sun reports.The gas pumps will be located between 1,150 and 1,200 feet away from the nearest townhouse, Costco representatives claimed at the meeting.

Patch file photo