New Dunkin’ Proposed for Route 70: What Cherry Hill Neighbors Should Know About the Marlton Pike Conversion
By Ari Williams | 295Times
If you travel Route 70 through Cherry Hill — Marlton Pike to locals — you know how busy that strip is. Now a proposal hitting the township planning board would add one more place to grab coffee and a quick breakfast: a Dunkin’ looking to convert a former bank building on Route 70. A public hearing is set for December 15, and if approved the project would be another small-but-noticeable change along the Marlton Pike corridor in Camden County.
Where this sits and why it matters
The building in question fronts Route 70 (Marlton Pike), a primary east‑west artery that links neighborhoods across Cherry Hill and feeds drivers to nearby ramps for I‑295. Google Maps places this stretch as a high‑traffic commercial spine — car dealerships, chain restaurants, small strip malls, medical offices — so any new roadside business affects circulation, parking, and pedestrian crossings in the area.
For readers who track news by I‑295 exit, think of this as a Marlton Pike development that touches the same travel patterns and commuter flows you use to get on and off the interstate. It’s the kind of project that can be convenient for drivers stopping near the highway, but also adds turning movements and curb‑cut activity that the planning board will want to weigh.
What Dunkin’ would bring
Dunkin’ (the national chain formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts) has leaned heavily into beverage and convenience in recent years. Locally, Dunkin’ locations tend to attract steady morning and mid‑day traffic, especially from commuters and nearby office workers — and many proposals now include a drive‑thru, extended morning hours, and mobile order pickups. Franchise expansion is a commonplace part of Dunkin’s strategy, which usually translates to new local jobs (staffing for early shifts), property taxes, and a steady stream of customers for adjacent businesses.
Community benefits and concerns
On the plus side, converting an underused or vacant bank into an active storefront helps maintain street-level retail vitality and can reduce blight. A Dunkin’ can be a reliable neighborhood amenity: morning coffee, a quick lunch item, and a meeting spot for locals. Nearby small businesses often appreciate the spillover foot traffic — customers might stop at a nearby shop after grabbing a coffee.
But there are tradeoffs. Route 70 already has high vehicle volumes, and residents sometimes raise legitimate concerns about added congestion, left‑turn backups, and safety for pedestrians crossing to bus stops or neighboring storefronts. Cherry Hill’s residents have pushed back on poorly designed drive‑thrus in the past, and the planning board typically scrutinizes proposed curb cuts, deceleration lanes, parking counts, landscaping buffers, and hours of operation. Expect those topics to come up at the December 15 hearing.
What locals are saying
If you scan Yelp reviews for Dunkin’ locations in southern New Jersey, the pattern is familiar: people praise speed and convenience, complain about inconsistent service or crowded morning lines, and appreciate drive‑thrus when they work smoothly. Patch and NJ.com have frequently covered similar projects across the state, noting that approvals often hinge on parking and traffic mitigation plans rather than whether a franchise is “wanted” in principle.
How this fits a wider trend
Across the region, repurposing former banks, offices, and small industrial buildings into food-service outlets has become common. The Route 70/Marlton Pike corridor reflects that broader suburban redevelopment trend: sites once designed for a single tenant are being reconfigured for high-turnover retail or quick‑service restaurants that cater to both local residents and highway traffic. That can be a net positive for property values, but it also calls for careful planning to preserve safety and neighborhood character.
What to watch at the December 15 planning hearing
– Traffic and parking analysis: Will the applicant propose any new turn lanes, signal adjustments, or pedestrian crosswalks?
– Drive‑thru design: Is the stacking lane adequate, and does it interfere with parking or neighboring access?
– Hours of operation and deliveries: Early morning service is expected, but late-night hours or frequent deliveries can be a concern for nearby residents.
– Landscaping and lighting: Buffers matter for neighbors and for local aesthetics along Marlton Pike.
If this project matters to your commute or neighborhood, consider attending the planning board meeting or submitting comments to Cherry Hill Township ahead of the hearing. Local planning documents and meeting calendars are usually posted on the township website, and NJ.com or Patch sometimes run updates after hearings.
A final note
Small projects like this one can have outsized effects on how we move through town — from the I‑295 on‑ramp to the breakfast table. Whether you champion the convenience or worry about the curb cuts and queues, the December 15 hearing is where those impacts get sorted out.
I’ll be watching the planning board notes and will update readers after the hearing. If you have thoughts or photos of the site, drop me a line — it helps to get neighborhood perspectives on these Route 70 changes.
— Ari Williams, 295Times
Sources and context: route context referenced from Google Maps; local planning coverage and similar project reporting by NJ.com and Patch; community sentiment patterns from Yelp reviews of nearby Dunkin’ locations.
