Future of Cherry Hill? (Camden, Union: apartment, neighborhood, high school)

[shannybannany]

Originally Posted by JoeSo

That shopping center looks pretty empty over there with just ShopRite and Petco,I wonder what the plan is for that.

Home Depot still owns that building and will never sell because as a pp said, it does NOT want Lowes in that spot. Even if they didn't sell to Lowes but to someone else, it could eventually be snapped up by Lowes.

I hate Home Depot with a passion. I go out of my way and go to Maple Shade to go to Lowes. I live 5 minutes away from the Home Depot in Cherry Hill.

Shanny

[JoeSo]

Originally Posted by Sassygirl18

As a resident of Cherry Hill, here is what I would like to know:

With all these huge retail establishments going up, shouldn't our property taxes GO DOWN? I assume these businesses will be paying taxes, right?

How long have you lived in NJ?...

[DITC]

When will NJ urban planners and architects go take notes from a place like Westport, CT? All they had to do with this racetrack land was lay out a grid system of roads, perhaps 4x4 blocks, shove all the parking at the entrance on the edge of the property along NJ-70, then put a main street style strip with nice boutique stores (two sided, not the one side New Jersey shopping center nonsense), and then behind that put tasteful housing with nice roads and sidewalks and blend it into the surrounding community. Throw in some nice squares with grass, parkbenches, and a waterfountain. Maybe a small park in the property. That is how you make a town center.

This project is a piece of **** and just another cookie cutter shopping mall complex so please do not use the words "town center" it is an insult to actual town centers where you can spend a day and have a good time. I sympathize with those of you who expected more and are disappointed. Being misled by your government and local officials is always a let down.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by solibs

Also, i'm not sure if anyone else has ever been to "the Walk" in Atlantic City. It's not mixed use, essentially it's an outlet mall, but it fits into the fabric of the city. They could've very easily made it look like what's going up in Cherry Hill but they choose a more pedestrian oriented model. There's still plenty of parking, it's just off at the edges of the development instead of right there in the middle.

relevant article here in the SF Examiner
www.sfexaminer.com >> Local News [/i]

Yes, I have been. It cleaned up an unpleasant area. Last time that I took the train to AC I walked over to the boardwalk. It was a beautiful day and people were strolling, shopping, eating outside.

[solibs]

Originally Posted by DITC

When will NJ urban planners and architects go take notes from a place like Westport, CT? All they had to do with this racetrack land was lay out a grid system of roads, perhaps 4x4 blocks, shove all the parking at the entrance on the edge of the property along NJ-70, then put a main street style strip with nice boutique stores (two sided, not the one side New Jersey shopping center nonsense), and then behind that put tasteful housing with nice roads and sidewalks and blend it into the surrounding community. Throw in some nice squares with grass, parkbenches, and a waterfountain. Maybe a small park in the property. That is how you make a town center.

To paraphrase a character on a favorite series of mine -
"how many times have you heard of a mayor sitting down with the superintendent of schools and telling him how to do his job or how to run the school district? Yet every mayor that's been on the job for a week thinks he's an expert on policing."

I don't give my two cents on plumbing or accounting or computers or education because I don't know much about any of them. I don't pretend to be an expert because I know how to flush a toilet or because I can use the internet.

So, to answer your question, even though I already did two posts ago, what you described was, more or less, the plan as presented by planners and developers.

The people who live in the area, who evidently know all there is to know about planning because they drive past the site everyday took it upon themselves to redesign the site into what you see today.

In fact, current mayor Bernie Platt was elected on a platform of scaling back the ambitious plans of the developers.

The planners had it right. It's all the armchair designers that effed it up.

[solibs]

Originally Posted by shannybannany

Home Depot still owns that building and will never sell

HD is unique among big box stores in that they own most of their locations. Are you certain that they own the Cherry Hill one?

I'd be really surprised by that, although i'm not sure either way. The reason I doubt it is that it's always been my understanding that they own all the stand alone stores. That old HD is connected to the rest of that strip mall, no?

Like I said, once the east side of the tracks is finished in 5 years or so I have a feeling that the whole Garden State Commons will come down and be rebuilt.

[shannybannany]

Originally Posted by solibs

HD is unique among big box stores in that they own most of their locations. Are you certain that they own the Cherry Hill one?

I'd be really surprised by that, although i'm not sure either way. The reason I doubt it is that it's always been my understanding that they own all the stand alone stores. That old HD is connected to the rest of that strip mall, no?

Like I said, once the east side of the tracks is finished in 5 years or so I have a feeling that the whole Garden State Commons will come down and be rebuilt.

I'm not sure of anything except death and taxes.

This is what I heard from a city inspector. Again...this is what i heard...

Shanny

[Rhow411]

I agree with with the horrible garden state plaza!!! I was soo turned off when I went over to see it... The Philly area as a whole needs new downtowns anhd smart growth which neither state PA or NJ or even DE for that matter is good at doing. DOnt get me wrong I think the Philadelphia area as a whole is a great place to live compared to other parts of the country. But the Garden state plaza is comparable to Main Street at Exton, just one big shopping center with lots of traffic. We all need to look farther south at Maryland and the DC area... With Rockville, Bethesda and Downtown Silver Spring.. these are great concepts.. the Rockville town sqaure is amazing and I would love to have something like this in this area... I think Cherry Hill did a poor job with the shopping center, and hopefully newtown square learns something from what cherry hill did and will look at something like a Rockville town square, which actually works!

www.rockvilletownsquare.com

[brightdoglover]

My father lives in Cherry Hill, barely on the Camden line, in the only trailer park in Cherry Hill. (Across from the armory near Haddonfield and the Cooper River, and behind what used to be the Rickshaw Inn on Rt. 70. I imagine that dates me).
He walks to a lot of things, and walks to the Gamblers' Express train. He can get to Philly or Atlantic City quite easily by train. He said the development at the former racetrack is going to include a train staton.
That said, as a person who left Cherry Hill at age 18 a long time ago and never looked back, it's going to continue as it is. A mega-super suburb, subdivisions with pretentious names, and wall-to-wall chain store shopping and convenience stores and and and along the main roads.
A little nostalgia- I worked at the racetrack (walking horses afer their runs- one of the first girls there, because before that, females weren't allowed in the back stable area even if they owned a horse!). I worked at all the diners along Rt. 70, mostly at the beknighted Olga's. I remember before McDonalds happened, there was Gino's Rt. 70. Same kind of menu "the Gino Giant" orange sauce burger thing. I worked there when minimum wage was $1.40.
I took riding lessons. My instructor originally (before post-war development) had a stable/farm where the Ellisburg Circle is now, can you imagine? I do remember a great farmers' market at that circle. The riding stable moved out to Marlton, where it is now gone to subdivisions.
And who could forget the Hawaiian Cottage restuarant on Rt. 38 near the mall, a building shaped like a... giant pineapple? It was "exotic" because it had sort of palm tree decor. Hawaiin food meant ham with pineapple.
Thanks for listening.

[shannybannany]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

My father lives in Cherry Hill, barely on the Camden line, in the only trailer park in Cherry Hill. (Across from the armory near Haddonfield and the Cooper River, and behind what used to be the Rickshaw Inn on Rt. 70. I imagine that dates me).
He walks to a lot of things, and walks to the Gamblers' Express train. He can get to Philly or Atlantic City quite easily by train. He said the development at the former racetrack is going to include a train staton.
That said, as a person who left Cherry Hill at age 18 a long time ago and never looked back, it's going to continue as it is. A mega-super suburb, subdivisions with pretentious names, and wall-to-wall chain store shopping and convenience stores and and and along the main roads.
A little nostalgia- I worked at the racetrack (walking horses afer their runs- one of the first girls there, because before that, females weren't allowed in the back stable area even if they owned a horse!). I worked at all the diners along Rt. 70, mostly at the beknighted Olga's. I remember before McDonalds happened, there was Gino's Rt. 70. Same kind of menu "the Gino Giant" orange sauce burger thing. I worked there when minimum wage was $1.40.
I took riding lessons. My instructor originally (before post-war development) had a stable/farm where the Ellisburg Circle is now, can you imagine? I do remember a great farmers' market at that circle. The riding stable moved out to Marlton, where it is now gone to subdivisions.
And who could forget the Hawaiian Cottage restuarant on Rt. 38 near the mall, a building shaped like a... giant pineapple? It was "exotic" because it had sort of palm tree decor. Hawaiin food meant ham with pineapple.
Thanks for listening.

Kewl stories, thanx!

Shanny