Locustwood Expansion Plan Gets OK from Planning Board

Locustwood Cemetery will add a total of more than 2,000 burial spaces and permanently close off its entrance at Route 70 and Cooper Landing Road under a plan unanimously approved by Cherry Hill’s planning board Monday night.

Driven by increased interest from the local Jewish community, Locustwood will add 1,800 ground burial plots and expand its mausoleum complex to include 306 more crypts and 100 niches, all in what’s currently an undeveloped area in the northeast portion of the 55-acre property.

“We are not looking to expand the boundaries of the cemetery in any way,” attorney Richard Goldstein said.

The plan also calls for a new entrance and exit along Cooper Landing Road and some new interior roads on the property, though the final word on placement and design of that remains in the hands of Camden County, as Cooper Landing is a county road.

While a formal review hasn’t taken place with the county, engineer Clifton Quay said initial talks with county officials about the proposal to move the entrance went well.

“The feedback I got was positive,” he said.

The move to an entrance off Cooper Landing Road also means closing the twin drive at the intersection of Cooper Landing and Route 70, which both planning board members and Locustwood representatives said presents too much of a traffic danger.

“It’s not a great place for an in-and-out,” Quay said. “Frankly, it’s a hazard.”

Locustwood will turn that into a closed loop with no access to either the highway or Cooper Landing, and also get the fountain at that corner working again, a point raised by several planning board members.

The expansion work will require clearing about two acres’ worth of trees, Goldstein said, but trees and landscaping will be added elsewhere to make up for some of that.

Locustwood will also add a sand-lined drainage basin near the back of the property, about 300 feet off Cooper Land Road, to handle runoff. While that brought some concerns over mosquitoes breeding in standing water, Quay said that shouldn’t be an issue.

“It’s not intended to hold water,” he said.

The plan generally got support from the handful of residents from along Cooper Landing Road and the nearby side streets who came out, though a few raised concerns.

Michael Iannetta Jr., who spent three decades with the township’s fire department, pointed out the possible effect on getting emergency vehicles in and out of the cemetery, especially given the tight turn radius on the other Route 70 entrance, by Locustwood’s office.

“By closing [the Cooper Landing Road and Route 70] entrance, it may make it difficult for emergency vehicles to access the other entrance,” he said. “It may be a little bit difficult for them to swing the turn.”

Iannetta also voiced concerns about the Cooper Landing Road entrance, and suggested it be accessible only from the southbound side, to avoid possible crashes on the road, which has plenty of speeders.

“It becomes Atco drag strip,” Iannetta said. “You’re liable to end up with a severe rear-end accident there.”

While the board and Locustwood representatives acknowledged the safety concerns, both noted the final decision rests with Camden County on the proposed new entrance.

“We’ll make sure they get your comments,” board chairwoman Carole Roskoph said. “We can’t make them act.”