Mall Owner Seeks Discussion With Township Amid Zoning Decisions

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown Council took the first step on zoning changes for the Moorestown Mall and the K-Mart Plaza, while a PREIT representative asked for more communication between the business and the township Monday night.

Council approved a proposed ordinance on introduction during Monday night’s council meeting at town hall to establish mixed-use overlay districts for the Moorestown Mall and the K-Mart Plaza.

Both are currently designated as specially restricted commercial districts. The change would allow for a mix of development and retail on those properties.

Officials said this proposal is just a placeholder, and needed to be introduced before documents could be filed on Feb. 3 and the township has its compliance hearing March 11.

The Planning Board will review the proposal for consistency with the township’s master plan on Feb. 6, and the public hearing and final vote by is set for the Feb. 10 meeting.

“This is a placeholder, and changes will be made,” Councilman Mike Locatell said.
Daniel Herman, the Senior Vice President for Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), asked for a meeting as soon as possible with township officials. PREIT owns the Moorestown Mall. “The Moorestown Mall is important to us as it is to you,” Herman said during the public comment portion. “The industry has seen a lot of dramatic change. There are now a number of uses that have never been contemplated in the past.”

In November, council approved the re-zoning of a site near the mall to allow for the construction of a 76-unit complex that includes 75 affordable units. The 3.12 acre site at Harper Drive will include a mix of townhouses and multiple dwellings on three acres of land.

In December, council approved the purchase of the property so construction can begin. It also approved a proposal to re-zone the Lenola Shopping Center site as an overlay area to allow for the development of 60 housing units, 12 of which would be set aside for affordable housing.

The plans follow a regional and national trend in which former or existing retail outlets are being re-zoned to allow for housing developments. Read more here: Moorestown Paving Way For Affordable Housing Complex Near Mall

While other shopping centers in South Jersey have struggled, the Moorestown Mall has been undergoing a transformation for the past several years, adding new retailers and becoming more of a dining destination with the addition of businesses such as Joe Italiano's Maplewood and Hash House A Go Go, among others. Herman said he wants to see the township and PREIT be able to work cooperatively without emailing documents back and forth.

“We have similar visions, but maybe different perspectives,” Herman said. “The ordinance won’t be perfect. It won’t be perfect for you, it won’t be perfect for us, but we need to work together.”

He said PREIT has heard from parties interested in putting a hotel and a multiple dwelling development in the area, but isn’t sure how long that interest will last. He also said that while plans are beginning now, it’s possible there will be changes in personnel made in the township and at PREIT before the final project is complete.

“The more we accomplish now, the better off we’ll be,” Herman said.

“I look forward to having a dialogue,” Moorestown Deputy Mayor Brian Donnelly said. “We all have a stake in this matter.”