Ask Your Freeholders: The Pennsauken Mart Site

Got a problem and need an answer from Camden County government? We’ve got your solution. 

Ask Your Freeholder is a regular feature from Collingswood Patch in which you get to ask questions and get them answered here by the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Camden County—the county's highest body of elected officials.

Just send your questions to bill.duhart@patch.com or ask it in our comment box below the story and we’ll get one of the seven freeholders to personally answer your question for this column.

Here's this week's question,

Question from Collingswood Patch:

I see construction equipment at the old Pennsauken Mart location—is there any momentum to projects there?

Answer from Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr.: Camden County, working with the Camden County Improvement Authority, has been in negotiations with the developer, to move the project forward, now that environmental concerns have been addressed because environmental issues have been cured. This kind of economic development is very important to county taxpayers, and all involved have worked very hard through a difficult economic period, especially for real estate development, to keep this project on a track to completion.

To that end, the developer, Renaissance, and the CCIA have renegotiated terms and provisions of the original Renaissance Agreement and extended the project schedule to account for the delay caused by the time needed for the brownfields site remediation.

The proposed Renaissance Plan calls for the construction of approximately 612 upscale rental units (one, two and three-bedroom) that will feature a clubhouse with pool, tennis courts and other recreational spaces. Construction of the clubhouse and other amenities and improvements will begin right after the groundbreaking, with the units coming on line over a period of approximately seven years.   Adding to this, approximately five acres will be set aside for commercial uses to support the development and area.

The development of the Renaissance Plan is expected to begin within the next several months, pending agreement by all parties.