New McDonald's for West Moorestown

The Zoning Board has granted approval for a new, state-of-the-art in West Moorestown.

The new McDonald’s will replace the existing structure at the corner of Lenola Road and Camden Avenue. The current building will be demolished and a new building constructed in its place. Work is expected to begin with shutdown of the current restaurant in early July.

“This new building will be a tremendous asset from what I saw of the plans,” commented Zoning Board chair John Logue. “From a personal standpoint, these plans far exceeded our expectations. This will be the beginning of a true gateway to enter the town from West Moorestown.”

The board worked for more than three-and-a-half hours Tuesday night, tackling the lengthy application.

“Kudos to the board,” said township Zoning Officer Peter Clifford. “The board was enthusiastic in its support of business on the West End. It was important to understand the McDonald’s timeline, but to balance that against acting in the best interest of the town.”

McDonald’s wanted to coordinate its construction with the closing of the Camden Avenue/Main Street Bridge over Route 73. That bridge closed to traffic on March 15 and is expected to reopen in August, according to the NJ Department of Transportation.

Lori Kiedaisch, project manager for McDonald’s Corp., said that construction of the new McDonald’s should take anywhere from 95-110 days, with a projected re-opening in mid-October.

The new building will follow an updated business model for McDonald’s, Kiedaisch said.

“We want to elevate the experience for our customers,” she said. “The new buildings have a brick and stone façade and a higher-end inside décor.”

Kiedaisch added that the new drive-through will have two order points, to expedite service. Additionally, customers exiting the McDonald’s onto Camden Avenue, will now be limited to a right-turn option.

Clifford said the Camden Avenue exit will contain a “pork-chop” lane that directs traffic for a right-hand only turn. This is expected to alleviate backup traffic in the parking lot. Customers will still be able to enter or exit in either direction onto Lenola Road.

Additionally, all parking will be moved behind the building, Clifford said. And attractive lighting and shrubbery will be installed to add to the curb appeal.

Logue expects the new McDonald’s to act as a catalyst for other improvements at the intersection.

“We’ve seen this happen before in neighborhoods,” he said. “When one building is improved, everyone else starts to think about how they can improve their property as well.”