A rendering of the new Subaru dealership planned for Route 70 eastbound in Cherry Hill.
In a case of corporate déjà vu, the Subaru of Cherry Hill dealership plans to move from one side of Route 70 to the eastbound side on about 14 vacant acres that held the corporate headquarters of Subaru of America until its 2018 move to Camden.
The new Subaru dealership, first approved in 2023 by the Cherry Hill Planning Board, now requires amended plans that include site design changes to reflect New Jersey Department of Environment Protection flood hazard regulations. The Cooper River is across Park Boulevard from the property.
Subaru's amended application is scheduled to be considered by the board at its September 8 online meeting, which begins with a caucus at 7 p.m. The showroom, service area and other offices will occupy a 67,035-square-foot building footprint that includes a 21,840-square-foot showroom and 36,350-square-foot service area. Site plans call for 658 parking spaces, of which 454 will be used to store Subaru's car inventory.
The five-story, $18-million Subaru corporate headquarters on Route 70 opened in 1986 and was demolished in 2019 after the corporation's 2018 move to a new $118-million home in Camden.Â
Subaru's headquarters wasn't the most famous building to occupy the 2235 Route 70 site.
The Latin Casino, where some of the most famous entertainers of the day performed, opened there in 1960 and was demolished in the early 1980s.
Steve Martin, Tom Jones, Dean Martin, Dionne Warwick, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and Johnny Mathis performed at the 1,500-seat dinner club in Cherry Hill, according to website Concert Archives. Rhythm and blues singer Jackie Wilson in 1975 was performing on stage when he had a massive heart attack that left him in and out of comas until his death in 1984.
The Subaru dealership plans originally were approved by the Planning Board in 2023. Star Real Estate of Cherry Hill II LLC, the developer at the time, assigned its approvals to Subaru of America Inc. and Subaru Insurance Agency Inc., which are now developing the site, according to the Township. The current dealership is at 1800 Route 70 westbound.
An operations statement from the developer says the site will have about 35 employees in the sales area and about 45 employees in the parts and service area, according to Township records.
Test drives would turn right onto Park Boulevard, turn right at the Audi dealership and left at the light onto Route 70, according to the application. Drivers would go to the Wawa in Pennsauken and turn around and come back on Route 70.
Landscaping at the new dealership will be designed by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and will be consistent with Subaru branding and similar to the Camden headquarters, according to the dealer's application.
The site plan for the new Subaru dealership in Cherry Hill. Route 70 is at top and Park Boulevard at the bottom.
The orange triangle, on Route 70, shows the location of the new Subaru dealership. Cuthbert Boulevard is the interchange to the left. Garden State Park is in the upper right.
