The two lots for the townhouse development on the dead end Pointview Avenue include the white house in the center of the photo. The home to the left of the white house is not part of the development. The P.J. Whelihan's Pub parking lot is to the left. Ronald Mylett, who lives across the street from the lots, expressed concern for the 100-year-old tree at the corner of his property, seen here at the edge of the pub's parking lot.
A plan to build six townhouses and two affordable-rent apartments on a dead-end street in Cherry Hill adjacent to P.J. Whelihan's Pub and Restaurant off Route 70 has been advanced by the Township zoning board.
Board members on March 7 unanimously granted the developer a use variance to build multi-family residential units in an office zone where residential is not permitted.
But board members and the public expressed concerns that the development may be too large for the lots and also result in parking problems on Pointview Avenue. Those issues would be addressed when the developer returns to the Zoning Board of Adjustment for site-plan approval.
The developer's lawyer, Kevin Sheehan of the Parker McCay law firm in Mount Laurel, said the team designing the project would consider those concerns before returning with a site plan.
Developer Town Square Real Estate Holding LLC of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania would purchase the property from two LLCs, which share the same address as P.J. Whelihan's owner, PJW Restaurant Group, at 222 Haddon Avenue, Suite 200, Westmont. The LLC's are 1905 Point View Avenue LLC and 1907 Point View Avenue LLC. A 2015 Sun National Bank mortgage and security agreement shows Robert A. Platzer, PJW Restaurant Group's executive chairman and founder, as the sole member of 1907 Point View Avenue LLC.
Ronald Mylett, who lives on Pointview Avenue across from the site, said he feared existing parking issues on his street from pub customers would be exacerbated by the residential development.
"They're talking about widening the road. Consistent with widening the road, you're going to have to tear down a 100-year-old tree which gives shade and everything else to my house," Mylett told the board.
The developer's representatives said they would take measures to retain the tree in the site plan.
The affordable-rental apartments would be on the far left in this plan.
Another resident, Martha Wright, a community advocate who lives on Munn Lane, said the legacy residences in the area are predominantly single-family homes on large lots, although there is one duplex home.
"I do not believe that this preserves and enhances the existing housing stock. It is nothing like the existing housing stock," Wright told the board. "This is a multifamily development designed strictly for profit. Get in, get out, get done."
Wright, calling for the board to deny the application, said building the eight units on the site is another example of "10 pounds of stuff in a five-pound bag."
Each of the six townhouses would have three or four bedrooms in 2,900 square feet of floor space, according to an explanation of the application filed with the Township. The affordable housing would be two apartments at the end of the townhouses, with one on each of two floors. One apartment would be a two-bedroom unit and the other would have three bedrooms, Sheehan said.
The developer's representatives were asked how many trees would be removed, but they did not have an answer at the meeting.
The yellow rectangle shows the boundary of the proposed townhouse development near the intersection of Route 70 and Greentree Road.
Each of the townhouses would have room for two cars: one in the garage and one in the driveway. The two affordable apartments would be next to a small lot with four spaces, one of which would be for handicap parking.
Parking on the street, which the developer said would be widened, is limited and not allowed at night after 8 p.m., according to discussion at the meeting.
"I just think there will be parking nightmares here," board member Greg Bruno told the board. "I think what the applicant is trying to do is to put grand townhomes into a space that really can't support it."
Bruno voted with fellow board members in favor of the developer's application for a use variance, which simply gives the board's approval to use the two lots for multi-family residences.
Bruno and other members said they would be eager to scrutinize the details of the project when the developer appears again with the site-plan approval application.
Board solicitor Sandy Zeller noted that approval of the use variance is only that, and does not come with a guarantee that a site plan for the project would be approved.
