Cherry Hill Farm Returns to Agricultural Roots
Cherry Hill farm returns to agricultural roots
Jim Walsh Cherry Hill Courier-Post
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A former farm in Cherry Hill, once threatened with development, is expected to return to agricultural use, according to township officials. A 9½-acre parcel at the Holly Ravine property will be leased by the owners of the nearby Springdale Farm.
"We are on the verge of accomplishing something virtually unheard of in New Jersey, actually adding a working farm in a mature suburban community," said Mayor Dave Fleisher.
The area to be leased for farming is part of a 22½-acre property off Springdale Road. Parking areas will be created separate from the farming acreage "so that residents will be able to enjoy the peaceful open space and natural ravine," the statement said.
The farm initially was a 68-acre property that included the Cowtail Bar, an ice cream shop, and the Moo Zoo, where children could pet farm animals. Much of the farm was developed in 1989 with a shopping center at Springdale and Evesham roads.
The site was owned by former Mayor John Gilmour and his family from the 1920s until January 2024, when the township bought it for $3.8 million. The purchase came after a developer sought to build a 175-unit senior-living complex at the property.
Springdale Farm, approximately two miles from Holly Ravine, is Cherry Hill's last working farm. It's owned by the Jarvis and Ebert family.
The five-year lease, which is not yet executed, will allow Springdale Farm to expand its operations.
"We’re excited to revitalize historic Holly Ravine by caring for the land there and farming it alongside the land our family has been caring for, for generations," said Clayton Jarvis of Springdale Farm.
Township council awarded the lease to Springdale Farm's owners at its Oct. 13 meeting.
The property adds to more than 1,350 acres of open space preserved across Cherry Hill. That includes the now-razed Kingston Swim Club on Deland Avenue and a former Masonic lodge on Haddonfield-Berlin Road near Interstate 295. Both of those sites are planned to be recreation facilities.