At the June 9 meeting of the Evesham Township Council, developers Peter Lazaropoulos and Henry Gorenstein of Lazgor LLC wanted to get a drive-through — not for fast food or a cup of coffee, but an actual drive-through window added to the developers’ agreement for their properties at the 3000, 4000, and 5000 sections of Lincoln Drive West.
Lazaropoulos and Gorenstein originally presented a plan in March that outlined the demolition of several existing office buildings at the site and to construct a 45,000 square foot LA Fitness center, an additional 31,500 square foot retail building and a smaller, 3,600 square foot retail pad site toward the south, close to the already existing Susquehanna Bank.
It was that 3,600 square foot retail pad site that was the focus at the June 9 council meeting, as Lazaropoulos and Gorenstein asked council to allow them to add a drive-through window to the pad site, something not included in their original presentation.
Lazaropoulos said the change is a result of the issue coming up multiple times while trying to court possible tenants for the site.
“We have been pursuing diligently, securing tenants, but many of our tenants have been asking about drive-through,” Lazaropoulos said. “It was one of the issues that was not addressed in the original concept.”
Aside from the addition of the single lane drive-through window, Lazaropoulos said the plans presented at the June 9 meeting were mostly unchanged from those he and Gorenstein had presented in March, with the buildings remaining the same size and at the same locations.
“The project is basically the same, it just includes a single lane drive-through,” Lazaropoulos said.
In the plans Lazaropoulos and Gorenstein presented in March, the 31,500 square foot retail building included plans for an AAA office and for the current entrances to the 3000, 4000, and 5000 sections from Route 73 to remain the same. Those details also remained unchanged.
Director of community development Nancy Jamanow echoed Lazaropoulos, and said the drive-through addition would simply amend the redevelopment agreement that was already signed by the township and Lazgor, LLC several months ago.
“Just visually, the picture that went along with the agreement did not show the drive-through, so this makes it all conforming,” Jamanow said. ”They still have to appear before the planning board for all their approvals. Nothing changes on that end.”
Mayor Randy Brown asked if Lazaropoulos and Gorenstein had any idea of when the two hoped to have their plan before the planning board, and Lazaropoulos said they were looking at the at the next week to 10 days.
“The drawings are about 95 percent completed. We’re just doing the preliminary architecture right now,” Lazaropoulos said.
Only one member of the public, resident Rosemary Bernardi, commented on the plan during the meeting, during which she commended council and said she thought the plan was a great use of the space.
“It was a great redevelopment plan and I think it’s a great use,” Bernardi said. “I just wanted to commend council; I thought that property was a nice use of the redevelopment of that existing commercial space, so kudos to you guys.”
During the vote to approve the amendment, Councilmember Ken D’Andrea abstained from the vote, as he felt the recent position he accepted with Virtua Health could be in conflict of interest with the LA Fitness center, as Virtua also has physical fitness facilities.
