We’ve had a very mild winter, and while it’s not officially over until March 20, we are definitely seeing welcome signs of spring around town. And along with all the signs in nature, you’ll soon be seeing that other sure sign of warmer weather, roadwork.
There are 102 miles of road in Moorestown: 74.6 miles are municipal roads, 24.7 are county roads and 2.7 miles of Route 38 is a state road. Freeze thaw cycles throughout the winter creates stress on cracks in the pavement, which leads to potholes. Our Department of Public Works takes care of making those minor repairs in municipal roads, so if you notice potholes that need repair, you can report it online at https://www.moorestown.nj.us/RequestTracker.aspx (or look for the “report a concern” button on the homepage of the website.) And if you notice potholes on county roads, (see https://www.co.burlington.nj.us/917/County-Roads for a list) you can call the Burlington County pothole hotline at (609) 265-5021.
Construction is starting on the Lenola Town Center Improvement project, along with the county’s work on the bridge over Pennsauken Creek on Camden Ave, near the intersection with Route 73. Council is committed to making the most of the streetscape improvement and has been discussing ways to attract new businesses to the commercial district in Lenola.
We’re getting a lot of interest from business owners who are excited about the streetscape improvements and see great potential for that area, and we’re sharing the input we got from residents about the kinds of businesses they’d like to see in the area. One of the steps council is considering is to declare the commercial district an area in need of rehabilitation. This can be done when certain criteria are met (for example, if the water and sewer infrastructure is more than 50 years old) and allows the township to incentivize improvements by offering 5-year abatements on property tax increases associated with improvement. It also gives the township more flexibility to attract specific kinds of businesses that residents want.
Lenola isn’t the only part of town where business is booming. I and other council members attended three business openings in February: Reconstructive Orthopedics on Rte 38, DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen on Nixon Drive and the new addition to Harmony Village at CareOne on Stanwick Road. I also had the opportunity to tour the construction site of the new Cooper University Health facility that’s being built on the site of the old Sears building at the Moorestown Mall. They are building nearly 100 “pods” offsite and installing them as nearly finished exam rooms, procedure rooms and restrooms, which is allowing construction to proceed very quickly, and will allow them to begin seeing patients this fall.
To further encourage and support businesses in Moorestown, our Economic Development Advisory Committee is partnering with the Moorestown Business Association to sponsor a session with representatives from the NJ Economic Development Authority on small business loans and grants. This will be held in Council Chambers at 6 p.m. on March 29. If you’re interested or know of a business that might benefit, keep an eye on the township website and social media feeds for more information.
