Vision For Shopping Center's Future Has Cherry Hill Residents Hopeful

CHERRY HILL, NJ — A coalition of Cherry Hill residents, who fought tenaciously (and successfully) against a proposed Super Wawa, has been cautious about the Barclay Farms Shopping Center's change in ownership. But so far, Preserve Barclay members like what they hear.

Preserve Barclay — a volunteer group of residents from the Barclay Farm and Kingston Estates neighborhoods — mobilized against the Super Wawa's development at the shopping center off Marlton Pike. Hortense Associates LP, which owned the property at the time, withdrew its application last December to build the convenience store and 16-pump gas station. Read more: Super Wawa Application Withdrawn In Cherry Hill After Community Outcry

When Hortense filed a change-of-ownership notice with the township last June, Preserve Barclay adopted a "wait-and-see attitude," according to Martha Wright, the group's spokesperson.

The shopping center's new owners — Bergman Real Estate Group and Capstone Realty Group USA — went public last week about their $16.1 million purchase. The two real estate firms shared some ideas for the shopping center's empty space, such as a medical office, a boutique grocer, or a discount wine or liquor store. Read more: Cherry Hill Shopping Center Sells For $16.1M To Real Estate Firms

Preserve Barclay wouldn't mind any of those, Wright says.

"We certainly believe that the shopping center needs an investment made in it," Wright told Patch. "So we're certainly not anti-investment. We're certainly not anti-development. Indeed, the only thing Preserve Barclay was against was gasoline pumps."

Super Wawa Controversy

What makes a Wawa "super?" A Super Wawa is typically open 24/7 and includes gas pumps, a larger store and more parking. There's a Wawa across the street from the Barclay Farms Shopping Center, but it doesn't sell gas.

Preserve Barclay would've been fine with moving that Wawa into the shopping complex. But adding a gas station would have brought light and noise pollution, along with traffic issues, to the calm, walkable neighborhood, the organization says.

Unique elements of the area, such as the roadway's grassy medians, would've been stripped. And the construction would've had "devastating" impacts on Kingston children who ride their bikes across the street to get to Barclay's swim clubs, Wright said.

What Should Fill The Wawa Space?

The cancelation of the Super Wawa left the Barclay Farms Shopping Center with a 45,000-square-foot space to fill. Barclay-Kingston residents have maintained that they'd like to see the shopping complex become a restaurant hub or community-gathering destination.

Patio dining, farmers markets and a brewpub were among the ideas Preserve Barclay presented to the shopping center's ownership in December 2021. And that's what they'd love to see now, according to Wright.

When the Super Wawa application was withdrawn a year later, Preserve Barclay laid low and raised money for potential legal battles in the future. The organization felt shocked to learn that Hortense was selling the complex, but Preserve Barclay waited to see if the acquisition would actually go through.

In last week's announcement of the sale, Bergman CEO Michael Bergman touted the shopping center's "old-world charm, evoking nostalgic memories of your neighborhood shopping center that has that special character we all love."

That has Preserve Barclay feeling encouraged.

"We particularly like what Bergman said about the unique character of the shopping center," Wright said, "and an acknowledgement that it's really different from anything else in Cherry Hill."