The Washington Township Planning Board will hear proposals on Tuesday August 3rd at 6pm, for two new multi-family housing developments. One will have a commercial component also… with one aspect of it identified as a new Pharmacy.
Multi-family could mean condos, townhomes or apartments… but in this case I believe it means rental units.
One project is is located on Blackwood Barnsboro Road across from the Nik Nak Shop near Sawyer’s Creek, on the wooded corner at the intersection, and will include 180 units plus 25,000 sq ft of retail space. Approximately half of that retail space will be a pharmacy, and office space is also a part of the project. This project also includes some units to be developed in adjacent Gloucester Township property.
The other project is an age restricted affordable housing development on Route 42, in the wooded property next to Outback Steakhouse. It will include 64 units. It appears this project was previously approved in 2020 as an 80 unit development, but now is being presented as 64.
This meeting is the SAME NIGHT AS MY POSTING OF THIS article. TUESDAY August 3rd. 6pm.
42Freeway did attempt to get copies of the site-plans to present to readers in advance of the meeting. Our 7/27 email to the Planning Board secretary was not replied to, and we stopped in at the Municipal Offices on Friday but found they are closed on Fridays through the summer.
Meeting Information for both projects:
Washington Township Planning Board Meeting
Tuesday August 3rd at 6pm, in the Council Room.
Washington Township Municipal Building
523 Egg Harbor Road
Sewell, New Jersey 08080
Mark from 42Freeway plans on attending this meeting.
M&T / Edgewood Properties at Blackwood Barnsboro “The Lofts”
M&T appears to be the development arm of Edgewood Properties. Edgewood Properties is a very accomplished developer, and in our area their most prominent project has to be the massive Garden State Park commercial and residential project in Cherry Hill.
The location for the Washington Township project is 12 acres of land on the edge of Washington Township, bordering Gloucester Township’s Lakeland area.
The current intersection includes the Nik Nak convenience store and the Washington Way apartments and is very close to the Sawyer’s Creek Development.
One of the 4 corners at this busy intersection is a wooded lot, which not too long ago had a “Coming Soon” development sign.
Readers have asked me about that large pile of dirt along Woodbury-Turnersville Road as you enter into the Lakeland area… that is actually Washington Township and a part of this development project! A pile of dirt like that is typically to compact loose and wet soil ahead of construction.
The border with Gloucester Township is oddly shaped here, and basically this 12 acre property on the corner is in Washington Township, while the remainder of the surrounding land on that side of the road is Gloucester Township (heading into the Gloucester Township sports complex and Lakeland).
Specifically, the applicant proposes to construct:
- a multi-family residential development containing 180 units in six 3-story buildings
- approximately 25,263 square feet of retail space, including an approximately 13,013 square foot pharmacy and approximately 12,250 square feet of retail space within a multi-tenant building, and
- approximately 4,950 square feet of office space within the aforementioned multi-tenant building.
In accordance with the New Jersey Fair Share Settlement, 15% of the housing units will be designated as affordable housing units.
The purpose of the presentation is:
to review and take formal action upon the application of M&T at Blackwood, LLC (“Applicant”) for preliminary and final major site plan
Edgewood Properties maintains a project page at their website, simply called “Washington Township (Blackwood)“
The property depiction presents one rendering of the commercial component (Pharmacy, etc). While we feel this is representative of the project, it is not exactly what is being presented tonight. PDF
Gloucester Township Connection
We mentioned that there is a component in Gloucester Township also.
Documents for the Gloucester Township Lakeland Area Redevelopment Plan Phase 3 in 2020 call out that the land NEXT to this corner Washington Township development along Blackwoodtown-Mt Pleasant road will also be part of this housing development.
The same documents describe the project as “The Lofts at Blackwood”
The almost 8 acre wedge portion of the Gloucester Township project will also be developed as housing, and look exactly like the housing in Washington Township. Simply, when fully completed, most of the residents will live in Washington Township and some will reside in Gloucester Township.
While 42Freeway did not post on the Gloucester Township portion when the Lakeland Redevelopment plan was approved by council last year, the Patch news website did.
The proposal labelled as the Lakeland Redevelopment Area (Phase 3) will be located next to a mixed-use development in Washington Township. When the Gloucester Township component is completed, it will all look like one uniform area, officials said.
The Patch – August 2020
Lastly, M&T is also developing a second project in Gloucester Township along the core Route 42 Highway off of Davistown Road. That project will be housing and a hotel is expected to be developed. The location is close to Camden County College and in close proximity to The Outlets. 42Freeway attended that meeting but had not posted on it… soon.
Ingerman Development Company at Route 42. Age Restricted Housing
Ingerman Development is also a large and accomplished developer, with over 100 communities developed and $1.4 Billion of assets under management.
Their website shows dozens of New Jersey projects, and in Washington Township the previously developed The Willows on County House Road near the Rowan College Complex in Deptford. They also have a Willows development in Williamstown.
The new project is proposed for a prominent location directly on Route 42, in the undeveloped lots between Outback Steakhouse and Ledden Lane (the houses along Ledden Lane are not part of the development project)
The proposed area is already designated as SAH Senior Affordable Housing District.
The project will consist of 64 age restricted units, set as 100% affordable housing. This will include associated parking and support infrastructure of course.
Basically, this an “Over 55” community. The affordable housing aspect typically comes into play with 55 and over housing, because retirees are living on lesser income from retirement savings and social security.
The application is seeking preliminary major site plan approval for the project.
It appears that this project was previously brought to Washington Township Zoning Board and Council in 2020 as an 80 unit development, but has now changed to 64 units (and therefore requiring new approvals). Zoning PDF Council Pilot PDF
Meeting Information
Washington Township Planning Board Meeting
Tuesday August 3rd at 6pm, in the Council Room.
Washington Township Municipal Building
523 Egg Harbor Road
Sewell, New Jersey 08080