Only one applicant has been pre-qualified to bid on Haddon Heights’ first retail liquor license — a Philadelphia-based developer with plans for a restaurant and luxury apartments on the corner of Station Avenue and the White Horse Pike.
Haddon Heights Borough Council unanimously approved the resolution prequalifying Station Avenue Partners LLC to bid on the license during its Sept. 1 work session.
The company submitted an application for a retail liquor license at 501 Station Ave. at the northeastern entrance of the borough’s downtown corridor, according to the resolution.
The team behind Station Avenue Partners also own Broken Ground Properties, which is redeveloping the property at the corner.
Plans for the site include a 2,750-square-foot first-floor restaurant or commercial space with outdoor seating and a rooftop deck, Broken Ground Properties owner Gary Farrell said. The top two floors will be home to a dozen luxury apartments and a nearly 3,000-square-foot rooftop area for residents, he said.
The entire project will stretch across both 501 and 503 Station Ave., adjoining properties that were previously home to buildings dating back to the early 20th century. The buildings had fallen into disrepair over the years and the borough included the property in its redevelopment plan in 2023.
With utility lines placed and construction moving along, Farrell said he expects the project to be finished by February. The commercial space will likely be the last part of the project completed, he said, because the future tenant will be in charge of the remaining outfitting and design.
So far, Farrell said, they’ve been in talks with multiple restaurant groups interested in the property, but they’re waiting to officially have the liquor license in hand before putting it on the market.
The company was the only applicant for pre-qualification ahead of the Sept. 15 public auction for the license, Haddon Heights Mayor Zachary Houck said.
Pre-qualification is required to participate in municipal liquor license auctions in New Jersey to ensure that all bidders are legally and financially eligible to hold a liquor license under the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control laws.
But pre-qualification does not automatically mean the license is awarded; Station Avenue Partners will still need to participate in the upcoming public auction.
The minimum bid for the license is $200,000 after being reduced by the borough from its original $400,000 starting price.
In 2024, voters approved a referendum ending the borough’s 120-year status as a dry town and permitting Haddon Heights to issue two plenary retail consumption licenses that allow the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages on licensed properties.
Following a successful first public auction, Houck said, the administration would consider initiating the same process for the borough’s second liquor license by the end of the year or sometime in early 2027.
Just a few miles away, historically dry Collingswood is following Haddon Heights’ lead.
Last month, a community petition was successfully filed in the borough to put the question of local alcohol sales in the hands of voters. If liquor licenses are approved in November, it would bring an end to a ban that dates to the 19th century.
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