Cherry Hill, Evesham/Marlton, Medford, Medford Lakes, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees and elsewhere near the iconic state highways of Routes 70 and 73.
The developer of the Springhill Suites hotel in Voorhees was going to add retail and commercial space on the six-acre parcel, but now a 116-unit, active senior condominium building is planned instead.
Voorhees Hotel Associates of Horsham, Pennsylvania won Zoning Board of Adjustment approval for a use variance with bulk variances on July 11 and the board adopted the resolution on August 8. Residential was not a permitted use on the lot.
The project will need preliminary and final major site plan approval from the board in the future.
The senior housing complex, in gray, would wrap the front and side of the existing Springhill Suites hotel.
Developer's application to the Voorhees Zoning Board of Adjustment
Phase I of the developer's projects at Voorhees Drive and Executive Drive was the 188-room Springhill Suites, a Marriott-brand hotel, approved in 2009. The lot was cleared for Phase II, which was to include a restaurant, bank and retail building.
But those plans were knocked out by the one-two punch of the Great Recession and then the COVID pandemic, the developer contended. The property's location behind Eagle Plaza also doomed the original retail/commercial concept, the developer stated.
"For well over a decade, the (Voorhees Hotel Associates) has marketed the site to numerous restaurants and retail uses without success due to, among several other factors, the site's lack of visibility to Haddonfield-Berlin Road," according to the developer's application.
At the July meeting, there was no comment from the public on the proposal.
Residents of the senior complex would get pool privileges at the Springhill Suites indoor pool, according to the application. They also would be able to walk to shop at nearby stores.
The senior housing would wrap near the south and west sides of the hotel. The existing driveway on Executive Drive would be used and a new one would be built on Voorhees drive. The complex would have 166 parking spaces.
