Home Care In Voorhees Township, NJ

Closed since the Spring of 2024, the Voorhees Town Center core mall property could see new life as a mixed-use residential, retail and community destination now that Voorhees Township has approved a Redevelopment Agreement with developer Hoboken Brownstone.

The agreement represents a major investment for North Jersey developer Hoboken Brownstone, which will see over 300 residential units developed on the sprawling parking lot areas, almost 40,000 square feet of new commercial and entertainment space added, a new multi-level parking garage created and more.

The plan is designed to leverage what is already working within the extended property… Boscov’s will remain open, the Voorhees Townhall will remain in the building, and the adjacent Boulevard mixed-use spaces will also remain.

Opened originally as the Echelon Mall in 1970, for 40 years the mall was a top shopping and community destination in South Jersey. Buying patterns changed, mostly from internet shopping.. and the indoor shopping mall went through a variety of changes including demolishing of a large portion of the original building.

The decline of shoppers continued, and Voorhees Township has been working for years with developers on plans to further redevelop the mall property.

An unfortunate fire in April 2024 within the food court area rattled those initial plans a bit, as it forced the closure of the indoor mall retail aspects (Boscov’s and the Voorhees Town Hall have remained open).

While the closing added some additional complexities, the town’s leaders continued to press forward on making the Voorhees Town Center a central hub of the suburban community.

This project marks a new beginning for Voorhees and the first step in redeveloping the mall. For decades, the Echelon Mall was the heartbeat of our community — a place where families gathered, friendships were built, and memories were made. While it has stood silent for too long, this redevelopment gives us the opportunity to bring that heartbeat back. We look forward to working with Hoboken Brownstone Company to reimagine this space as a vibrant center of life, energy, and connection for all who call Voorhees home.

Voorhees Township Mayor Michael Mignogna.

American Malls Must Adapt Or…

The mixed use plans for the Voorhees mall is the reality for many of America’s once thriving mall spaces.

While the Cherry Hill and Deptford Malls still appear to be thriving and regularly adding new tenants such as Deptford’s Round 1 and Cherry Hill’s upcoming Dick’s House of Sport, most malls are operating with significantly reduced shoppers and revenue.

The Burlington Center Mall was one of the last full malls developed in South Jersey, and today is completely gone… replaced by warehouses.

The Moorestown Mall taking a similar approach as the Voorhees Town Center, and the Burlington County retail center has a head start with The Pearl apartment complex being developed in the parking lot, a large Cooper Hospital facility opened within the mall, and Parky’s Entertainment Venue also under development taking over the former Lord & Taylor building

The Voorhees Township press release explains that the Redevelopment Agreement establishes a comprehensive framework between the township and Hoboken Brownstone Company related to all aspects of the project.

The project will be developed in two residential phases, with the commercial aspects aligned to the Final Phase.

This effort has multiple wins for the Township as it will fulfill affordable housing obligations that are part of the requirements of New Jersey’s Fair Housing Act, ensuring opportunities for families of all income levels.

The agreement includes a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) agreement which is used to help balance redevelopment costs and sustain municipal services. It is expected to add millions of dollars of non-tax revenue to the town.

Likely the biggest visual change at the property will come from the 35 new residential buildings (townhome and apartment) which are to be developed within most of the mall’s existing parking lot area.

To support the necessary parking needs… ground level parking lots will remain for both Boscov’s and the Voorhees Borough hall aspects.

Additionally a new large parking garage will be developed immediately south of Boscov’s to support 1,300 to 1,500 cars. Also, the former Macy’s department store building will see the second level converted into indoor parking, supporting over 200 parking spaces

The site plan gives hints that the food court is expected to remain as it highlights 25 dedicated spaces labeled “for food court pickup”

Hoboken Brownstone Company brings over four decades of experience transforming underutilized properties into thriving, sustainable communities.

We’re honored to partner with Voorhees Township on this visionary redevelopment. Our goal is to create a vibrant, walkable community that reflects Voorhees’ unique character — one that combines great design, housing diversity, and spaces where people want to gather. We look forward to working hand in hand with the Township to make this vision a reality.

George Vallone, President of Hoboken Brownstone Company.

It’s important to note that while this is a huge milestone for the Redevelopment of the Voorhees Town center, there are still many steps to complete such as full property acquisition, additional design efforts, and full site plan approval.

At this time the township has not provided any timelines for the project.

Bonus: For a fun trip down memory lane, would you believe the Strawbridges is still on the third floor of their old building, sealed away for decades? Two years ago we got the images! Check them out here!

Links and Locations

Voorhees Town Center – Redevelopment Coming2140 Voorhees Town CenterVoorhees Township, NJ 08043

A massive redevelopment of the former Echelon Mall, now the Voorhees Town Center, that would include 317 townhouses and rental apartments was approved this week by the Voorhees Township Committee.

Hoboken Brownstone Company, a 45-year-old development company based in North Jersey, will be the redeveloper of the former mall that, according to the Township, will be transformed into:

An early concept plan shows the townhouses will be built in the parking lots around the mall with the existing mall footprint, and Boscov's department store, to remain.

"The project aims to reimagine the once-bustling mall into a walkable, family-friendly town center while preserving key community assets, including the Voorhees municipal complex," according to the Township announcement. The plan is for the property to be reborn as a "vibrant, mixed-use destination that will blend new housing, retail, and community spaces."

Township Administrator Stephen J. Steglik told 70and73.com on Thursday that Hoboken Brownstone is purchasing the former Echelon Mall property from Namdar Realty Group of Long Island.

The Township now owns space on the second floor of the Town Center for its offices, he said.

"For decades, the Echelon Mall was the heartbeat of our community — a place where families gathered, friendships were built, and memories were made," Mayor Michael Mignogna said in a statement. "While it has stood silent for too long, this redevelopment gives us the opportunity to bring that heartbeat back."

The redevelopment agreement, approved at the Committee meeting on Monday, states the redevelopment should have no less than 38,040 square feet of the gross leasable space of the former mall, including the Macy's building.

A venue for theater, concerts and shows may be included, according to the agreement.

A fire-damaged, aging South Jersey mall is getting a second chance.

The Voorhees Township Committee unanimously approved a redevelopment agreement this week to revitalize the former Echelon Mall area, now known as Voorhees Town Center.

Hoboken Brownstone Company, a New Jersey developer known for large-scale urban renewal projects, will transform the property into a mixed-use community with housing, shops and public spaces, town officials announced.

The development will include 317 new homes, including 207 market-rate townhouses, 50 affordable for-sale units and 60 affordable rentals, according to officials.

Plans also call for 38,000 square feet of commercial and entertainment space, a multi-level parking garage, new parks and bike paths and a 30,000-square-foot community space that will be donated to the township.

“The project aims to reimagine the once-bustling mall into a walkable, family-friendly town center while preserving key community assets, including Voorhees’ municipal complex,” Mayor Michael R. Mignogna said in an announcement Thursday.

The project will be built in two phases of housing, followed by the commercial section.

The agreement also includes a payment in lieu of taxes program, known as a PILOT, that town officials say will generate millions in new revenue “to help lessen the burden on Voorhees taxpayers.”

The redevelopment comes after years of decline for the once-thriving mall, which opened in 1970 and lost major anchors including Macy’s and JCPenney before a fire in the food court area in 2024 temporarily closed the property.

Boscov’s remains the only anchor and signs on the mall’s doors this month still read “closed until further notice.”

In 2007, a $30 million redevelopment rebranded the property as Voorhees Town Center and added apartments, shops, restaurants and the township’s municipal offices. Still, vacancies persisted.

In recent years, several redevelopment proposals have come and gone, including plans for senior apartments, microbreweries, sports complexes and outdoor entertainment venues, but none moved forward.

Township officials say this latest deal finally sets the long-stalled project in motion.

“For decades, the Echelon Mall was the heartbeat of Voorhees,” Mignogna said. “While it has stood silent for too long, this redevelopment gives us the opportunity to bring that heartbeat back.”

Voorhees is among several New Jersey towns trying to save dying malls by reimagining them as residential and retail town centers. Communities from East Brunswick to Monmouth County are following a growing trend of turning aging malls into mixed-use destinations with housing, dining and entertainment.

Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The former Echelon Mall in Voorhees is officially primed for revitalization after a seven-year effort to rescue the lifeless shopping center.

The Voorhees Township Committee last week unanimously approved a North Jersey developer’s plans to build townhouses, commercial and community spaces, and a parking garage on the mall property, which was partially demolished and rebranded as the Voorhees Town Center in 2008.

The Hoboken Brownstone Co. plans to construct more than 200 market-rate townhouses, as well as more than 100 units of affordable housing, both for-sale townhouses and rental apartments, according to township documents.

The project is also set to include 38,000 square feet of new commercial and entertainment space; a parking garage with at least 1,300 spots; outdoor areas and bike paths; and a 30,000-square-foot indoor community space donated by the developer.

Township officials declined to estimate how much the project would cost, and Hoboken Brownstone executives did not return requests for comment Tuesday.

Mayor Michael Mignogna called the plan “a transformational public-private partnership” that will be built in phases, with the commercial components coming last.

The mayor said the project would include payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) “to help balance redevelopment costs and sustain municipal services,” bringing in millions of dollars in revenue and easing the burden on taxpayers.

“For decades, the Echelon Mall was the heartbeat of our community,” Mignogna said in a statement. “This redevelopment gives us the opportunity to bring that heartbeat back.”

At last week’s meeting, township committee members noted that the mall has been “dead” for a long time.

The $80 million, 400-acre Echelon Mall development was built in 1970 on the site of a former airfield. Once New Jersey’s second largest mall after Cherry Hill, and known as “The Mall” in the 1970s and ’80s, it started to struggle even before the broader decline of in-person retail. It lost Sears and JCPenney in the early 2000s. When Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) bought the property in 2003, the mall was already seeing vacancies.

But then, there were signs of hope: In 2006, a Main Street-style mixed-use development was approved for part of the property. About 400 residential units, including rentals, were added, and by 2008, the Voorhees Town Center celebrated its grand opening. The plan was estimated to have cost $150 million.

A few years later, the township spent $5.5 million to buy and renovate 22,000 square feet of the mall for a new town hall. The town center’s mixed-used section, Boulevard Shoppes, brought in restaurants like Iron Hill Brewery, which this fall filed for bankruptcy and closed all locations, including Voorhees.

But next door, the mall continued to lose tenants and customers. In 2015, Namdar Realty Group, which is known to scoop up distressed malls, bought the property from PREIT for $13.4 million. Namdar representatives did not return a request for comment Tuesday.

By 2018, at least a dozen more stores had closed in a two-year span. They included Macy’s, one of the mall’s last anchors. At the time, remaining business owners described a sad scene, saying the place was at times “totally dead.”

In April 2024, a two-alarm fire forced the mall to close and further complicated redevelopment plans. It hasn’t reopened since. The mall’s website still said it was “temporarily closed” Tuesday.

Boscov’s, the complex’s remaining department store, is still open.

While the property’s redevelopment will include the Macy’s building, according to township documents, Boscov’s has never been included in such plans. Last year, executives of the Reading-based retailer told The Inquirer that they planned to continue operations there, regardless of what comes next for the larger mall.

The former Echelon Mall is one of several South Jersey shopping complexes undergoing transformations.

The Moorestown Mall is being redeveloped with apartments, medical offices, and, according to , a two-story entertainment complex with go-karts and axe-throwing.

And the property once home to the Burlington Center mall is becoming a mixed-use development with residential, retail, and hotel properties alongside warehouses.