The closed 7-story La Quinta Hotel in Runnemede is planned to be converted into an apartment complex Developers head to the Runnemede Planning/Zoning board on Wednesday February 26th looking for full final approval The plan calls for the 146-room hotel building to be converted into 112 apartments There is no mention in the public notice regarding affordable housing or over 55.  It’s simply lists  “adaptive reuse of the former hotel for multi-family residential use” Located on 9th Street in Runnemede near Exit 3 of the Turnpike I think most remember the property as the Runnmede Holiday Inn which offered a restaurant lounge and event spaces.  A quick search of history on the property shows it was originally developed in 1977 as a Ramada Inn La Quinta was the last brand for the hotel, taking over its operations in 2016.   It operated as La Quinta for several years That being said it was only a few years later in 2018 when the South Jersey Observer website reported that a Senior Residential Healthcare Facility with an Adult Daycare Operation was planned for the building.  That plan obviously did not come to fruition Runnemede Officials have been working the last few years on redevelopment of the building previously creating a redevelopment plan  to allow the building to be converted into a multi-family residential use offering a variety of amenities such as exercise centers pet areas and more Just a few years ago the building was completely gutted of all of its interior with the thought being it would be easier to sell for redevelopment In 2023 the property was listed for auction at a starting bid of $950,000. (Philadelphia Business Journal) Camden County records show that the property sold at the end of 2023 for $3.9 million The buyer is listed as L2L Runnemede LLC, which is a localized division of Saul Urban who is a multi family residential developer based out of Bethesda MD On their portfolio page of their website they list the Runnymede property as “Suburban Philadelphia” and show a an attractive architect’s rendering of the building with a new paint scheme and landscaping (I have a call into Saul Urban for permission to use their image in this article) In May of 2024 the developer appeared before the Runnemede Council Meeting sharing their experience in the residential space as well as a description of the planned Runnemede project Mayor Kappatos requested a resolution be passed designating L2L Runnemede URE as the property redeveloper Plans for the apartment conversion of the former hotel consists of creating 112 apartments: The project will also include certain amenities which appear to have been required by the Runnemede redevelopment plan definition; storage areas and outdoor areas all for exclusive tenant use There are several variances requests for this project such as requested changes from the previously defined Redevelopment Plan such as fencing the required amount of office and storage space and the need for a traffic plan Runnemede Hotel – Apartment Conversion (Planned)109 E 9th AveRunnemede Approval Request Hearing:Combined Planning and Zoning Board of the Borough of RunnemedeFebruary 26 commencing at 7:00 p.mRunnemede Borough Hall24 N Categories News $63 Million Superfund Site Cleanup At West Deptford Matteo & Sons is Underway Nothing Bundt Cakes Opening Soon on Cross Keys Road Sicklerville RUNNEMEDE — A general housing shortage is giving a long-closed hotel here a new life as a 112-unit apartment building Members of Runnemede Borough's planning board approved the design for the former LaQuinta Hotel & Suites at their meeting Feb Board members officially confirmed the decision by resolution at their meeting March 26 Mayor Nick Kappatos said the hotel has been difficult to fit into a redevelopment plan It closed seven years ago and ended up being sold at auction in December 2023 to its current owner More: Old Wells Fargo property gets support for redevelopment treatment in Haddon “These empty buildings are not good for any town LaQuinta is at 109 9th Avenue on 4.5 acres at the rear of Runnemede Corporate Park The hotel was built in 1977 and began operations as a Ramada Inn It cycled through several name changes before closing in 2018 Property records show it was sold for $3.9 million to HDDA RLD Runnemede Urban Renewal LLC The site plan application to the borough shows that corporation is associated with Saul Urban The final site plan called for 91 one-bedroom apartments six studio units and 15 units with two bedrooms The hotel was listed with 151 rooms when it last was put up for sale More: NJ Transit president on light rail expansion: It's coming to South Jersey, like it or not. A challenge in converting hotel rooms to apartment units is that their average square footages vary Hotel rooms also tend to be significantly smaller than what's desired for apartment units Kappatos said these apartments will probably attract mostly individual tenants The units are to be leased at market rates Runnemede officials have a development agreement with the owner that includes a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes arrangement as a financial incentive Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland Support local journalism with a subscription Raintree Shopping is a liquidation and overstock deal store offering big discounts to customers and they are coming to Evesham Road in Runnemede NJ The new store is coming to the Acme Plaza (a strip mall of stores next to the Acme supermarket) taking over a unit that previously was a Rite Aid A construction dumpster has been on site at the Runnemede property, and they have already created a Facebook presence which further confirms the upcoming opening (Facebook Group) If you’re unfamiliar with these style of deep-discount stores they purchase overstock items from retailers such as Target Wayfair and more… and then pass those savings on to their customers… Raintree Shopping customers In some cases the merchandise comes directly from a manufacturer who created more merchandise than they could sell For the Runnemede Store their Facebook page gives a bullet list of features In the immediate area I see that there is a Raintree Shopping store in the Cumberland Mall in Vineland, where they moved into the unit which previously was Old Navy.  The location’s Facebook page says they are opening locations in Pennsylvania also This Cumberland Mall store has 2,000 followers on Facebook and the owner/manager does regular Facebook livestreams to highlight the new items that arrived in the store for sale It also appears another Vineland location is set to open tomorrow on Landis Ave, according to another location Facebook page At this time I do not know an opening date for the upcoming Raintree Shopping Runnemede location Overstock/Clearance stores are a fast-growing category in American retailing… likely also seeing a growth surge from the number of online retailers who find themselves with merchandise that isn’t selling and do not have a retail floor to market discounted clearance sale items I’ll wait 6 weeks for the closeout sale” In many cases it’s simply quicker and easier to sell overstock merchandise in large quantities at a loss to other (discount) secondary-market distributors and retailers… freeing up inventory for newly arriving merchandise purchasing the right amount of inventory and quantity to get the required pricing can be a challenging endeavor Consider for example how large your local Walmart Super Center store is and how challenging it must be to manage that one store’s inventory… and then consider that there are 4,600 stores in the United States alone So when Walmart decides to bring a new product into the stores buying for hundreds or even thousands of stores… it’s possible they can misjudge the expected sales volume and end up with overstock of a product And many times that overstock prodct finds itself in the Secondary Markets on their way to overstock stores A large number of returns processed by retailers is also an area where companies acquire discounted merchandise Raintree Shopping – Runnemede NJ Coming Soon601 East Evesham RoadRunnemede Fries Mill Road and Route 322 Update April 2025 From Mayor Wolfe A Runnemede woman accused of seeking a hitman to kill her ex-boyfriend and his daughter made an earlier attempt at murder-for-hire The claim was made at a detention hearing for Jaclyn Diiorio She had allegedly offered $12,000 for the slayings to a man she met on a dating app "This appears not to be an isolated attempt," Assistant Camden County Prosecutor David Dietz told Superior Court Judge Yolanda Rodriguez Second chance: Commutation brings early end to 30-year term The judge cited a concern for public safety in ordering Diiorio to remain in custody pending trial Dietz cited a text from Diiorio to the purported hitman — a confidential informant cooperating with law enforcement — that requested proof when the murders took place Diiorio said she previously "had people look her in the eye and lie" and that she had received "fake pictures." He said that showed that "a previous plot was hatched but the defendant got burned and it wasn't carried out." Diiorio is accused of targeting her former boyfriend She allegedly wanted the daughter slain first "because the killing of a police officer would draw too much scrutiny from law enforcement while not as much law enforcement resources would be dedicated to investigating the death of an officer's daughter," Dietz said He also noted Diiorio's alleged response when the informant asked if she was committed to the plot: "Why the f--- would I want out?" Defense argument for Jaclyn DiiorioDefense attorney Robert Gamburg requested Diiorio's release with electronic monitoring and restrictions on her movement "She has nothing in her history that would indicate any type of conduct like this," he said The attorney also noted that the informant first had contact with Diiorio on March 31 but did not go to the prosecutor's office until April 3 "We have a completely rogue unsupervised confidential informant trolling and then after four days of [Diiorio] being further manipulated he finally goes to law enforcement," Gamburg said He also downplayed the prosecution's point that Diiorio allegedly told the informant about a Molotov-cocktail attack on her ex-boyfriend's home in September 2024 "I respectfully suggest there are others out there with more of a motive," Gamburg said calling the reference to the firebombing "more of a red herring." "The state at this point does appear to have a strong case." Diiorio is charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal Gateway Classic Cars is a national reseller of classic cars with 20 locations across the country and they recently relocated their Philadelphia location to a brand-new climate controlled warehouse in Runnemede NJ Open to the General Public and offering over 150 cars on site (as well as over 3,500 cars in showrooms across the country)… you’ll find an amazing vehicle in every category of classic cars Honestly it’s like visiting an automobile museum where you’ll find beautifully kept cars such as a 1967 Pontiac GTO 1966 Chevy Corvette or how about a classic 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible… In some ways it’s even better than visiting a museum because you can stop in for free to check out the amazing array of classic cars and because of frequent sales and new inventory moving in regularly… the cars on display changes constantly… Come back every so often and you’re likely to see a completely different selection of vehicles I was reviewing their online Facebook photos and most of the cars in the pictures from just a month ago… have already been swapped out for sales or other Or you can browse the cars from the comfort of your home as their website features beautifully taken photos and videos of every car all of which can be viewed without registering to access the site I stopped in today to meet up with the team who were winding down from their customer appreciation holiday party which is a celebration of customers and classic car fans as well as an opportunity to collect toys for children Today’s special holiday thank-you event was a special combined November/December meetup… but the rest of the year they hold their “Caffeine and Chrome” car meet up events on the last Saturday morning of the month.  Car collectors from around the Philadelphia area show up with their own beautiful cars and “talk shop” The timing of my visit today provided me a chance to meet the whole team who were happily surprised to see my stop in!   Thank you Sharon and everyone for being so awesome during my visit and telling me all about Gateway Classic Cars Gateway Classic Cars has been in the area for years but previously they were located in the Paulsboro/West Deptford area.  Their new Runnemede location is in a brand new warehouse construction building on 9th Ave near the NJ Turnpike Exit 3… Which many remember as being the same street where the Holiday Inn was located Gateway Classic Cars features a front office area for staff and sales which opens up directly to the main indoor classic car showroom in the rear Inside that showroom are long rows of beautifully maintained and restored cars… all labeled with car details The business model for Gateway Classic Cars is consignment-based sales… meaning all of the vehicles on display are privately owned by individuals who placed their cars in the showroom with specific pricing guidelines… and the Gateway team handles all questions and aspects of the car purchase transaction Car owners looking to sell their vehicles typically sign a three-month agreement to be displayed in the showroom… which also factors into the constantly evolving inventory Gateway is also doing a significant online business where customers around the world are browsing the car selection via the Internet and making purchases based on those listings With almost 4000 cars in inventory in 20 locations the Gateway teams are experts in delivering your classic car purchase to anywhere around the world Closed on Sundays… they are open 9am-5pm six days a week it’s a nice an inexpensive way to spend some time out of the house (but still indoors) and who knows. maybe you’ll find that classic 1966 Red Mustang Convertible you’ve always dreamed about Gateway Classic Cars of Philadelphia (Runnemede)195 9th AvenueRunnemede LesbiVeggies Relocating To Downtown Woodbury (Relocating from Audubon) A Runnemede woman is accused of using a dating app to find someone to kill her ex-boyfriend and his daughter allegedly offered approximately $12,000 for the deaths of her intended victims identified only as a 57-year-old Philadelphia policeman and his 19-year-old daughter But the purported hitman alerted police to the plot April 3 according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office More charges: New allegations against Mount Laurel daycare provider Diiorio was arrested the next day after allegedly paying $500 to the man who's identified only as a confidential informant during a meeting at a Wawa along the Black Horse Pike in Gloucester Township who identified herself as "D," first met with the informant March 31 at a Wawa in Runnemede They exchanged texts and phone calls through April 3 The informant told investigators Diiorio was "adamant about killing her ex-boyfriend," according to the statement It said the police officer reported ending his relationship with Diiorio whose name was redacted from the statement also told investigators that his home had been vandalized by a Molotov cocktail in September 2024 Diiorio is charged with two counts of attempted murder as well as one count of conspiracy to commit murder She also is accused of illegal possession of a prescription drug Diiorio has not been convicted in the case Diiorio was being held at Camden County Jail pending a detention hearing in Superior Court Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post RUNNEMEDE — Detectives are investigating a fatal shooting here It was the first homicide in the 2-square-mile borough since June 2020 when a woman shot her boyfriend in a motel along East 9th Street is serving a 23-year prison term for aggravated manslaughter Bigotry in New Jersey State Police: A report flags bias within South Jersey state police troop An investigation into Molyneaux's death is underway Anyone with information is asked to call prosecutor's Det Erica DiLolle at 856-225-5539 or Runnemede police Det Brown’s Handcrafted Confections brings delicious and creative Cake Pops and more to their new Runnemede shop on the Black Horse Pike Mother-daughter team Alisa and Ariona have created a shop that offers mom’s incredible and fun fresh-baked cake pops as well as a variety of products and crafts from local artisans… and even a cozy event space A perfect match for your cake pop order is a hot cup of coffee or tea If you are unfamiliar with “cake pops”… they are exactly as they sound A “munchkin” sized cake on a stick that typically covered in icing or chocolate and decorated with a variety of fun and edible items How about cake pops that look like ice cream cones or even with a flatter front side which becomes a canvas to add details that can really match your occasion And there is still time to get your Valentine’s Day Cake Pop order in… but you should move fast!  They even offer easy online ordering of some of their top sellers On Super Bowl Sunday I was driving back from a local sports novelty store and noticed the new signage stores attached to the Runnemede Municipal building… Black Horse Pike at the intersection of Clements Bridge Road I turned the car around to see what was new and caught up with the family behind Brown’s Handcrafted Confections Alisa and Ariona started out selling mom’s home-baked cake pops at a variety of town markets but they mostly found a home at the Rancocas Woods events in Mount Laurel.  They also sell their cake pops at a few area stores such as Pinspiration in East Greenwich Brown’s Cake Pops developed a loyal following at the local markets and the partners decided to move to the next level and open up their own shop.  Runnemede ended up being a perfect location for them as it was somewhat centered between each of their homes Inside the new Runnemede shop they done a great job creating an inviting and festive environment With the kitchen to the back left they have an “L”-shaped space with a large front customer area (filled with interesting products to look at and buy!).  Down the right side is a wide hallway that offers table seating and space for events The one side wall in the event area is painted with chalkboard paint and they’ve had a lot of success with a kids oriented “Sunday Funday” which is held once a month.  Last month featured a Groundhog’s Day story time… which also included a DIY Groundhog craft And of course the Brown’s Cake Pops and other delicious creations are presented throughout the store A nice bonus thing the mother and daughter team have done is opened up their space to others artisans who offer for sale crafts and other delicious treats For my visit I purchased a six pack Bag of Cake Pops and brought them back home for the small Super Bowl party we were having…  And there were a big hit Not only are the Brown’s Cake Pops delicious with a rich cake… there’s a lot of thought and fun that goes into the designs With the Superbowl taking place and Valentine’s Day coming up this weekend Alisa and Ariona had a big variety of fun and interesting cake pops to choose from Of course I found a way to try two of the top sellers… The fruity cereal and the s’mores place an order online… or even have them create custom cake pops designed to match your events whether it’s a specific color theme for a wedding / bridal shower or how about a dark chocolate coating for a 50th birthday party? Brown’s Handcrafted Confections is open Wednesday through Sunday during the day It’s a great location for the shop with a lot of customer traffic driving through but just a heads up that they do not have parking immediately in front of the building.   For my visit I parked at the Runnemede Borough Hall parking lot at the opposite corner of the block Brown’s Handcrafted Confections12 N Black Horse PikeRunnemede NJ 08078 Ceremony and PATCO Details for South Jersey Fans JOANN Closing 500 Stores Including; Deptford Get important news about your town as it happens Get the top stories from across our network Are you sure you want to unsubscribe from daily updates A 26-year-old Camden County woman is facing attempted murder charges after she allegedly tried to hire someone to kill her ex-boyfriend and his daughter immediately after she tried to pay a confidential informant $12,000 to kill her ex—who is a 53-year-old officer with the Philadelphia Police Department—and his 19-year-old daughter according to Camden County Prosecutor Grace C MacAulay and Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins Diiorio met with the informant on the 1300 block of North Black Horse Pike and gave them $500 in cash she was arrested by the Gloucester Township Police Department Special Response Team Diiorio was also found with a bottle of suspected alprazolam pills Diiorio was remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility where she awaits a detention hearing scheduled for April 9 The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Gloucester Township Police were assisted by the U.S Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force – Camden Division Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Ryan Durham at (856) 225-5127 All individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law New details have been released in the case of a 50-year-old woman whose remains were found stuffed in a refrigerator left in a New Jersey state forest Christopher "Ryan" Blevins has been charged with murder in the death of Laura Hughes Christopher Blevins, 45, of Runnemede, has been charged with murder in he death of Laura Hughes, who moved back to New Jersey with Blevins last year to have a relationship with her two daughters, as previously reported by Daily Voice Blevins admitted to strangling Hughes before stuffing her body into a refrigerator last July according to the affidavit for probable cause obtained by Daily Voice The refrigerator had been wrapped in a sleeping bag and secured with blue ratchet straps according to the affidavit for probable cause A search of Blevins and Hughes’ shared apartment uncovered blue ratchet straps and a calendar that displayed an "X" on each day leading up to July 24 Blevins’ green pickup had been photographed transporting a refrigerator-shaped object in July 2024 the vehicle had been seen in Long Beach on July 24 Detectives also learned that Blevins had fled to Mexico in the same pickup on Aug and had stayed in hiding for several weeks Blevins surrendered to authorities in Mexico City and admitted to being involved in a violent incident in Runnemede a search of a law-enforcement database was negative as Hughes’s body had not yet been found and no charges had been issued Blevins returned to the United States in September and stayed in Delaware until Dec Blevins left work for a lunch break and never returned to work or went home Blevins was charged with desecration of human remains and hindering apprehension detectives were told that Blevins had been apprehended in San Diego and was lodged in jail pending his extradition to New Jersey Detectives traveled to the San Diego Jail and met with Blevins for a formal statement Blevins told detectives that he had strangled Laura Hughes to death in late July at their Runnemede apartment used his truck to transport her remains in a refrigerator to the Belleplain State Forest and tried to evade law enforcement afterward Blevins has been charged with first-degree murder with second-degree desecration of human remains and third-degree hindering apprehension in the death of Laura Hughes 2024 at 9:44 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Heavy flames emanated from a home Tuesday night in Runnemede NJ — Heavy flames emanated from a home Tuesday night in Runnemede at Dettmar Terrace and Ellen Lane in Runnemede Everyone evacuated before firefighters arrived Heavy smoke and flames were visible from down the block in photos the Runnemede Fire Department shared Firefighters controlled the blaze in less than 20 minutes The American Red Cross is assisting the victims The extent of the damage wasn't immediately clear Patch contacted officials and will update when more information becomes available Runnemede's fire marshal office is investigating the blaze Several fire departments from surrounding towns also responded to the incident Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Bishop Dennis Sullivan installed Father Robert Sinatra as pastor of Holy Child Parish on Nov 16 during the Vigil Mass at Saint Teresa Church Bishop Sullivan acknowledged that Father Sinatra officially began his tenure at the parish in July which has given parishioners the opportunity to know him “And I would suggest that you get to know him even better,” the Bishop said “It’s not easy for a priest to be transferred But with the encouragement and the prayers and the wealth of pastoral experiences of the people he will bring to this parish all that this parish needs,” Bishop Sullivan said After taking the oath as pastor and signing the formal paperwork Father Sinatra officially greeted members of the parish’s staff and trustees and thanked them for their service visited with each other during a reception in the church hall © All Rights Reserved | May 05, 2025 | Catholic Star Herald of the Diocese of Camden Add the Catholic Star Herald to your home screen For Android users(Chrome) tap the at the top right vertical 3 dots then tap “Add to Home Screen” For iPhone tap:at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen” If you need assistance with submitting your subscription, please call Neal Cullen at 856-583-6139, or email Neal.Cullen@camdendiocese.org © All Rights Reserved | May 05, 2025 | Catholic Star Herald of the Diocese of Camden A Camden County man is accused of killing his girlfriend and leaving her body in a refrigerator in a state forest allegedly strangled 50-year-old Laura Hughes 22 in a remote area of Belleplain State Forest in Cape May County It was inside a refrigerator that had been wrapped in a sleeping bag secured by straps and covered with a carpet Attorneys for Sean Higgins: Plea offer is unreasonable 'due to publicity' of Gaudreau case Blevins and Hughes were Runnemede residents according to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office A calendar in their apartment “displayed an ‘X’ on each day leading up to July 24,” the statements said The home also held “blue ratchet straps” like those used to secure the refrigerator Police: Murder suspect Christopher Blevins fled countryInvestigators learned automated license plate readers had photographed a pickup truck owned by Blevins carrying a refrigerator-shaped object in Long Beach Township on July 24 and in Sea Isle City one day later “Detectives also learned that Blevins had fled to Mexico in the same pickup on Aug and had remained in hiding for several weeks,” according to one statement Blevins turned himself in to authorities in Mexico City on Aug telling them that he had panicked after a violent incident in Runnemede “He stated that he may have killed somebody in a bar fight,” the statement said But because the victim's body had not been found at that time no charges were outstanding against Blevins when he left his job for lunch and never returned That happened one day after New Jersey State Police had requested the public’s help in identifying the body found in the Woodbine forest The appeal included an illustration of the victim’s tattoos Blevins became a suspect given the couple’s history of domestic violence 3 in Cape May County with desecration of human remains and hindering apprehension His name at that time was listed with the National Crime Information Center 13 that Blevins had been arrested and jailed in San Diego after giving a false name to police there Camden County investigators visited Blevins in the California jail Blevins — identified in criminal complaints as a Gloucester City man — has not been convicted in the case