09272023 HOLLY RAVINE AERIAL GOOGLE EARTH

The Holly Ravine Farm property is in the center of this aerial view. The farm abuts the Legacy at Woodcrest golf course (left) and is across from the preserved Voorhees farm, Saddlehill winery, at the bottom of the photo.

 Google Earth © 2023 | Annotations by 70and73.com

A resolution approving the $3,859,000 purchase of the former Holly Ravine farm for open space was approved Tuesday night by the Cherry Hill Township Council.

"This is a huge victory for the town," Council President David Fleisher told Council members at the caucus before the meeting.

"This is a significant milestone in the history of Cherry Hill Township and is the formal step toward ensuring that the Holly Ravine Farm is preserved and protected forever," he said later at the meeting.

The sale is expected to close in January.

Many residents rose in protest when the family of former Mayor John C. Gilmour Jr. was going to sell the 23-acre property to a developer of senior housing after the family had farmed the land since the 1930s.

091823 HOLLY RAVINE

The "For Sale" sign at Holly Ravine Farm on Springdale Road, shown here in 2023, came down after Cherry Hill Township purchased the property to preserve as open space.

The concern was for memories and history as much as open space: The property near Evesham and Springdale roads once held the Cowtail Bar, an ice cream stand owned by Holly Ravine. The bar closed in 1987 and the farmland at the intersection was sold for a shopping center that today houses a Wawa, CVS and other stores.

"I remember when my husband took me here to Cherry Hill many years ago, one of the things he showed me was that farm and the dairy bar and sort of how proud he was that he had it right up the street from his house. I thought it was pretty unique," Council member Michele Golkow recalled. Golkow, with every other member of Council, enthusiastically voted in favor of the resolution authorizing the purchase.

"A lot of people here in Cherry Hill have such fond feelings, deep-rooted feelings, about that farm," she added.

Lewis Gorman III, a member of the Cherry Hill Environmental Board, spoke during public comment and commended Council for purchasing the property.

Besides the potential for the open space, Gorman recalled growing up and visiting the Cowtail Bar after many Saturday night dances.

Other Council members shared their enthusiasm for the purchase.

Member Sangeeta Doshi said she was pleased the Township will "preserve this open space for many generations to come."

Quoting what is often attributed as a Native American saying, Doshi said: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, but we borrow it from our children."

Another Council member, William A. Carter III, said: "I think that is going to pay dividends for a long time. I think it's a great move."

In June, the Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 6-0 to reject the application of Caddis Acquisition Partners LLC of Dallas to buy Holly Ravine and build a 175-unit senior living complex. Residents had mobilized to oppose the plan, including forming a special Facebook group page, Save the Holly Ravine Farm.

Fleisher said paying for the farm should not be a concern.

"The Township has the fiscal strength to acquire this property," he said at the meeting.

Sources of money include the Township's Open Space Trust Fund and also the ability to borrow through bonds. 

However, he suggested that Camden County, and possibly the state, may chip in toward the purchase.

Fleisher said he has found the Camden County Board of Commissioners "shares our excitement" for preserving the property and that he expects the county will contribute financially after future discussions.

The Council president said the Township used two independent appraisals of the property and they were very close. He said the two were averaged and that is the purchase price.

"It is important to our history, to our environment, to our neighborhoods and to our future," Fleisher said.

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