Headline: Rt. 130 Shake‑Up in Haddon Township: Cannabis Retailer Approved; Whata‑Weiner and Edwards Books Mark End of an Era
By Ari Williams — 295Times
If you drive I‑295 through Camden County, you know Rt. 130 is the kind of Main Street that shows how South Jersey changes: strip storefronts, quick‑serve stands, and a steady flow of traffic headed to and from the interstate. This week Haddon Township cleared a notable chapter on that corridor — two long‑standing, underused properties on Rt. 130 have been approved for demolition to make room for a licensed cannabis retail store.
What happened
Haddon Township officials signed off on plans to remove the small Whata‑Weiner stand and the adjacent Edwards Books property along Rt. 130, making way for a single cannabis retail development. The approvals come after local land‑use review and are part of a broader trend of repurposing older, auto‑oriented parcels into higher‑value commercial uses.
Why this matters to drivers and neighbors off I‑295
For people who use I‑295 to get around Camden County — whether you’re coming off an exit for a quick errand, heading to work, or running deliveries — changes on Rt. 130 change patterns. A new retail concept with regulated hours, customer parking, and steady foot‑and‑car traffic can:
– Shift traffic patterns at nearby intersections and curb cuts, impacting peak congestion for those using I‑295 interchanges nearby.
– Change the customer base for nearby restaurants, professional services, and convenience stores. Cannabis retail tends to create repeat local traffic rather than one‑time destination trips, which can benefit adjacent businesses.
– Trigger infrastructure updates — upgraded sidewalks, parking rearrangements, lighting, and stormwater improvements — as part of site redevelopment and municipal permitting.
Where this site sits in the local map of development
Rt. 130 is a spine of small‑scale commercial parcels in Haddon Township, a mix of legacy mom‑and‑pop storefronts and newer service businesses. While Marlton Pike (Rt. 70) is the more familiar east‑west artery through Cherry Hill and Evesham/Marlton, corridors like Rt. 130 show the same redevelopment logic: underused single‑story lots getting consolidated for modern retail or service uses, often tied to shifts in consumer demand and municipal zoning that accommodates cannabis after the state legalization framework.
What we know about the retail tenant
The township approved use for a licensed cannabis retail store; final tenant identity, operator background, and a project timeline will appear in subsequent licensing and permitting documents. Modern cannabis operators typically bring strict security plans, trained clerks, age‑verification systems, and a predictable flow of customers that’s different from a drive‑in hot dog spot or an independent bookstore. The municipal approval process examined those operational details before granting redevelopment permission.
Community reaction and business climate
Change along Rt. 130 often draws mixed reactions — nostalgia for local fixtures like Edwards Books, and curiosity or concern about new uses. Community sentiment tends to cluster into a few threads:
– Economic opportunity: Redevelopment can mean construction jobs, municipal tax benefits, and more traffic to nearby businesses.
– Quality of life: Neighbors ask about hours, parking, pedestrian safety, and whether increased traffic will make local streets harder to navigate, especially near I‑295 ramps.
– Nuisance and youth exposure concerns: Given the nature of cannabis retail, municipal boards and state regulators typically require strict security and distancing from schools/daycares — items that come up in public comment.
If you want details about community sentiment, sites like Yelp and Patch often capture local business and resident reactions after a project announcement; regional outlets such as NJ.com and local meeting minutes provide reporting and public‑record details on approvals and conditions. Google Maps imagery and Street View are good first stops to visualize the current site and how a new storefront would align with existing curb cuts and sidewalks.
Larger pattern: strip frontage to consolidated retail
What’s happening in Haddon Township is a rip in a familiar pattern across suburban New Jersey: smaller, single‑use parcels that once supported car‑centric mom‑and‑pop businesses are being recombined for new regulated commercial uses. Marlton Pike and Rt. 130 both show this evolution — planners and developers targeting underperforming lots for reinvestment that aims to improve municipal tax bases and modernize commercial corridors.
What to watch next
– Operator identity and state license documentation: who will run the shop, and what is their local track record?
– Site plan and traffic studies: will there be curb adjustments, new turning lanes, or sidewalk improvements that affect how drivers use nearby I‑295 exits?
– Construction timing and demolition schedule: when the Whata‑Weiner stand and Edwards Books come down, and what temporary traffic controls will be in place.
If you care about how I‑295 exit traffic flows through Camden County, this project is worth watching. It’s a localized change with potential ripple effects for neighboring businesses, pedestrians, and anyone using Rt. 130 as a connector to the interstate.
Want me to pull the current Google Maps view of the site, recent Township meeting minutes, or local news coverage from NJ.com and Patch for links and more detail? I can assemble those and map the project to the exact I‑295 exit and nearby intersections so you know what to expect the next time you drive through.
