The township says the property should be public space, not a 90-bed rehab facility.
CHERRY HILL TWP. -- Brookfield residents got a surprise Labor Day weekend when they opened letters from a Florida company stating that the township had approved a rehabilitation clinic in their neighborhood.
And if they were upset at the news, they weren't alone. Township officials have said they did not approve the proposed facility at the site of the former Masonic Lodge and if they get their way, it'll never happen.
Mayor Chuck Cahn and Council President David Fleisher told residents in a letter of their own that the township hopes to preserve it as open space -- something Advanced Recovery Systems of Florida is well aware of.
"We will continue to vigorously pursue that preservation," they wrote.
Jeffrey Baron, a Voorhees attorney representing Advanced Recovery Systems, told Philly.com that the Planning Board did not act on the application in a timely manner and thus has granted default approval.
He told the site the board had 45 days under the state land-use ordinance to act on the application filed Feb. 19, but never took action despite ARS giving members an extra 105 days.
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Under the proposal, the Masonic Lodge building and grounds at 1205 Berlin Road would be converted into a 90-bed clinic to treat people with addictions and eating disorders, Philly.com reported.
Cherry Hill spokesman Bridget Palmer said there is no merit to Baron's argument, both because because the company's application was not "deemed complete" until this summer and because his 45-day deadline is incorrect.
She said that state law gives a planning board 95 days to approve or deny a site plan that involves more than 10 acres or 10 dwelling units.
"Their application was deemed complete on July 18 -- giving the township until Oct 21 to bring it in front of the planning board," Palmer said.
No meeting has been scheduled but it will be before that date, she added.
In their letter to residents, Cahn and Fleisher said that residents' participation will be welcome when the proposal is considered. They called any statement that the township granted default approval "false and misleading."
The letter stated that the township applied a few weeks ago to the Camden County Open Space Preservation Committee for funds to buy the lodge and grounds.
Baron told Philly.com that his client considered a different property at the request of the township, but was then told that second property was "off the table."
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.