Cherry Hill Approved New Subaru Dealership Plan

The local planning board greenlit a site plan featuring sustainable landscaping for the Route 70 automotive facility.

Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Car Types

Isometric editorial illustration showing a modern, eco-friendly car dealership building with native landscaping and garden plots, representing a commercial site approval.
The Cherry Hill planning board approved a site plan for a new Subaru dealership on Route 70 that features extensive sustainable landscaping and environmental mitigation designs. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should local governments exempt commercial projects from mandatory irrigation if they use sustainable native landscaping?

The Cherry Hill planning board has approved a major site plan for a new Subaru dealership at 2235 Route 70. The project design includes unique sustainable landscaping variances meant to reduce environmental impact.

Why it matters

The approval supports Subaru's broader corporate philosophy of maintaining an eco-friendly brand image through site-specific sustainability efforts. These design choices reflect modern regulatory requirements for flood hazard mitigation near sensitive local waterways.

The facility features a 21,840-square-foot showroom and a 36,350-square-foot service area. The site plan allocates 454 parking spaces specifically for inventory storage among 658 total spaces.

The players

Subaru

This Japanese automaker operates its North American corporate headquarters in Camden.

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

This organization promotes horticulture and community greening and designed the landscaping philosophy for the new dealership.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

This state agency oversees environmental regulations including the flood hazard standards incorporated into the dealership design.

The details

The dealership project replaces the former Subaru corporate headquarters site and incorporates a drought-resistant pollinator garden designed by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. To handle logistics without traditional noise, the dealership will utilize a phone-based tracking system for vehicle location.

Timeline

  1. The former Subaru corporate headquarters occupied the site from 1986 to 2018.

  2. Demolition of the original headquarters building took place in 2019.

  3. The project received initial approval in 2023.

  4. The planning board adopted the resolution memorializing the site plan on October 5, 2026.

Roadmap

This project highlights a growing shift in the auto industry toward aligning dealer-level architecture with corporate sustainability goals. The move follows larger industry trends of abandoning legacy office campuses in favor of optimized, eco-conscious retail footprints.

The dealership will employ 72 people, providing new local job opportunities within the Cherry Hill area. Residents and shoppers can expect a dealership footprint designed to minimize environmental disruption near the Cooper River.

The takeaway

Sustainable landscaping choices like drought-resistant gardens show how commercial developments can meet environmental regulations while maintaining corporate identity. Buyers can expect this site to prioritize eco-friendly design over traditional, high-maintenance landscaping features.

Further reading

For more on evolving dealership designs and trends, visit the Car Types section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Live Poll

Should local governments exempt commercial projects from mandatory irrigation if they use sustainable native landscaping?