What are they building at Shoprite? When will Shake Shack and Honeygrow open?
I gave away the answer in this question, but Shake Shack and Honeygrow are being built in the Shoprite parking lot, first announced in October of 2016. The last I read, Honeygrow is scheduled for 1st Quarter of 2018, Shake Shack is sometime 'next year'.
Inside of Honeygrow
The inside of Shake Shack on the other hand, still has a dirt floor.
What are they building at GBoys?
Nothing has been announced yet. They have cleared some of the property up front and fenced it off, but not much beyond that. The property was purchased in 2016 by the owner of the Friendly's franchise in the Shoprite parking lot (among others) just a stones throw away. I don't know if the plan was to move Friendly's, or if the same owner has other franchises as well.
What are they building at that old gas station? When will Starbucks open?
Announced in the fall of 2016, this site is supposed to contain a drive through Starbucks. Nothing is currently happening at the site and the structure on the site is quickly rotting away. According to the leasing flyer, outdoor seating is possible for a restaurant. However, since its next door to a gas station, I'm not sure how plausible that is. According to the article, I think that the new shopping center may also include the site next door which used to contain Papa John's pizza and Debug It Computer Services, both of which closed several years ago.
(Update 1/4/2018 - It does indeed include the Papa John's location as well. It was approved by the Town Zoning board on 9/19/2016)
When will Chickie and Pete's open?
There is still no announcement of an opening date, but their website has been updated to include a job fair for January 2018.
The parking lot has been reconfigured and there is new grass, shrubs and sidewalks on the outside. There is still quite a bit of work to do on the inside.
Also in that same shopping center, Duck Donuts will be opening soon. According to their Facebook page, they will look to start hiring in the middle of January.
What are they building in front of Franco's at Plaza 70?
An urgent care and rehabilitation facility is being built in front of Franco's. Announced in late 2016, Atlanticare is unrelated to Virtua or any of the other medical facilities in town.
What else are they building at Renaissance/TriTowne plaza?
The plans announced so far include 336 luxury apartments, Dunkin Donuts, La Scala, La Vez, Gaetano's, the Hair Cuttery, and a nail salon. As of right now, only Virtua is open. Driving around the site, while alot of activity is occurring, it doesn't appear that anything else is close to opening. I didn't see any poured foundations for the new buildings and the proposed retail sites next to Virtua in the old mall may look finished on the outside, but they are completely empty on the inside.
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| Proposed retail next to Virtua |
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| Proposed retail next to Virtua |
The old Superfresh store is still missing some exterior walls.
While the parking lot in front of Virtua was reconfigured and repaved, the lot in front of Superfresh is still in its original condition (and is currently fenced off).
Here are some other photos from around the site
What is going on at the old Casa Carolla's? 12/26 and 12/29- Updated Below
Casa Carolla's closed several years back and there have been rumors almost weekly regarding what will be taking its place. However, it has remained in its current state with no activity until very recently. During a recent Town Council meeting, it was approved for PJ Whelihan Restaurant Group to purchase the liquor license. However, purchasing the liquor license doesn't mean they will be opening in the same location. PJs operates PJ Whelihan's, The Pour House, The Chop House, and Treno's Pizza Bar.
Over the last week, there was finally activity at Casa Carolla's. The area was fenced off and heavy equipment was brought in.
And more importantly, an indication that work would indeed be taking place soon. Can't do anything without one of these:
What is being built at Olga's?
A 3 story fertility clinic. Reproductive Medicine Associates are planning a world class IVF (In vitro fertilization) lab.
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While not on the original map, I did notice that Pet Supplies Plus in the Whole Foods Shopping Center has finally closed its door. The company still has a location in Cherry Hill, but their 'going out of business sale' is over. This was at the location of the former Eckerd Drugs, which closed shortly after their roof was damaged in a storm a few years back.
Formerly Eckerds. (Thanks to John Flack for the photo.)
12/26/2017 Update
I didn't think I'd have to update this post so soon, but two changes to report. All of the above photos were taken on 12/24/2017. Since that time, destruction has begun at Casa Carolla.
And while less momentous, the 'Pet Supplies Plus' letters have come down.
Update 12/29/2017 - I spoke with the manager at one of the local PJs today. He said that while they did buy the liquor license from Casa Carolla, they do not yet have a plan for a Marlton restaurant - they will be holding on to the liquor license for now. Their next local opening would be in Westmont, where the former Irish Mile will reopen as a new PJs concept serving tapas.