Development proposed for one of the last remnants of Cherry Hill's agricultural past
CHERRY HILL – A senior-living complex could rise on one of the last patches of farmland here.
A Texas-based developer has proposed a 175-unit complex at a 23-acre site off Evesham and Springdale roads.
The property is all that remains of Holly Ravine Farm, which once covered 68 acres.
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Holly Ravine Farm could make way for senior complex
The senior complex would hold 85 “independent” units, 66 assisted-living units and 24 memory-care units in two four-story buildings, according to Dallas-based Caddis Partners LLC.
The project also would include a two-story commons building.
Caddis, which is entering the New Jersey market, has an ownership stake in more than 70 properties in 16 states, including senior-housing facilities and medical office buildings valued at more than $1.5 billion.
The Cherry Hill property is to be part of the firm's Heartis brand, which includes two facilities in Bucks County.
In a statement, Caddis said the 226-bed complex is intended "to fill a void in an under-served market for those residents wanting to stay in Cherry Hill.”
Firm: Heartis complex would preserve open space, trees
It also said the project "is being designed in a modern farmhouse style to pay tribute to the site’s history.”
The statement also asserted Caddis would seek to preserve both open space and mature trees on the property, which includes more than 10 acres of wetlands.
"There are over 1,000 trees across the nearly 23 acres, but this development only anticipates the removal of 36," the company's statement said.
A landscaping plan would add back 418 trees, “which far exceeds the current Cherry Hill tree ordinance," it continued.
The firm also said a beech tree believed to be more than 100 years old would be featured in a courtyard.
Cherry Hill senior complex could create 50 jobs
The complex, with a staff of 45 to 50 workers at full occupancy, will include a movie theater, fitness center, library and café bistro, among other amenities.
“Multiple dining areas will be included … with all food being prepared out of a central commercial kitchen," the statement said.
The former owners of Holly Ravine Farm, John and Eva Gilmour, bought the property in 1925 and for decades operated a dairy bar, the Cow Tail, and an animal exhibit, the Moo Zoo.
Much of the land was developed with a shopping center in 1989. The retail complex, at the corner of Springdale and Evesham, holds a CVS, TD Bank and the Kibitz Room Deli, among other tenants.
Changing landscape in Cherry Hill
The property, now owned by Eva Gilmour of Egg Harbor Township, was put on the market in 2015 for $5.5 million.
A red barn overlooking a green pasture off Springdale Road indicates the land's rural heritage. But two motorboats sit incongruously in the pasture, and traffic hurries past on the other side of white fencing along Springdale and Evesham roads.
Cherry Hill zoning board plans hearing
The zoning board is to consider the Caddis proposal at an April 20 meeting.
The project would need multiple variances, including one allowing the site to be used for senior living and another to exceed a height limit.
Other variances would address restrictions on parking, signage and fencing.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Holly Ravine Farm site could hold senior complex in Cherry Hill NJ
