A Voorhees office building constructed in the early 1970s as part of The Rouse Company’s Echelon Town Center complex will be converted to 178 “luxury” market-rate apartments, according to plans approved this month by the planning board.
Four Echelon Plaza, across from the former Echelon Mall, was occupied for decades by United Engineers & Constructors, but the eight-story, 240,393-square-foot building was only 61% occupied in 2020 and, by 2024, was completely vacant, according to a redevelopment plan for the site last November.
Designed by architect John C. Harkness of The Architects Collaborative, the office building was significant enough to land it in February on the National Register of Historic Places “as an early example of precast concrete in modern architecture,” according to the Historic Preservation Office of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which reported the building would be eligible for tax credits under the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Incentives Program.
The planning board on Oct. 14 approved the preliminary and final major site plan by developer RP 201 Laurel Property Owner LLC of Wayne. RP 201 Laurel in August 2025 purchased the property for $4.3 million from 201 Laurel Road Voorhees LLC, a Teaneck developer.
The board in 2024 had approved a previous plan by Pinnacle Luxury Residences LLC of New Hope to convert the building into senior apartments.
But now it will be transformed into a “modern, luxury” apartment complex, according to the developer.
The 4.8-acre property includes the office building and two-story parking garage.
Parking will continue to be on the ground level and half of the upper level of the garage, according to a project summary by planning board engineer C. Jeremy Noll of Environmental Resolutions Inc. of Mount Laurel.
Outdoor recreation space will be constructed on the other half of the top level of the garage, including a pool, sports courts, and seating and lounge areas, Noll wrote.
RP 201 Laurel’s major owners include Ira M. Lubert, who owns nearly a 43% interest, and lists his address in care of Belgravia Management LP of Philadelphia.
The other larger owner, with a 10.42% interest, is Beverage Financial Partners LP of Pennsauken.
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