Pennsauken Planning Board to Review July 28 Apartments, Café, Subdivision

Pennsauken’s Planning Board will meet on July 28, 2026 to review multiple housing- and land-use-related requests, including apartments, a mixed-use change involving a small café plus apartments, and a separate subdivision application. The township’s Agenda Center shows the agenda was amended July 14, 2026 and again amended July 23, 2026.

What’s on the July 28 agenda

In the Work Session section, the agenda lists:

• Ayala Ventures LLC, 5416 Witherspoon Avenue (Block 6111, Lot 8) in the R2 zoning district. The agenda says the applicant seeks approval to subdivide the property into 2 lots.
• Shakti7 LLC, 7924 River Road (Block 1504, Lot 12) in the C1 zoning district. The agenda says the applicant seeks minor site plan and bulk variance approval to convert the home to a mixed-use building: a small café on the first floor and two-bedroom apartments on the second and third floors.
• Justin Quintero, 3446 Haddonfield Road (Block 3802, Lot 37) in the R3 zoning district. The agenda says the applicant proposes to construct a 12 unit apartment building.

In the Public Hearing section, the agenda indicates: Subdivision – None and Site Plan(s) – No.

The agenda also lists minutes from 7-7-2026 and sets the next meeting for August 4.

The side-yard “bulk variance” request: what it means in plain English

One item on the July 28 agenda involves a bulk variance tied to a side-yard setback. In Pennsauken zoning, a setback is the minimum distance a building must be from a property line—so a side-yard setback matters for how closely a structure can sit next to a neighbor’s lot.

For the Shakti7 LLC mixed-use conversion, the agenda says the applicant seeks a variance under Section 141-81(C)(2)(b)(2): minimum side yard setback: 10 ft required; 5.3 feet existing and proposed (for a “vertical extension of the portion of building which is setback 5.3 feet.”)

More generally, a variance request is essentially a request for permission to deviate from the usual zoning ordinance requirements during board review. Pennsauken’s board application guidance describes variance standards around whether the deviation advances the purposes of the land-use law, whether the benefits substantially outweigh detriment, whether the relief can be granted without substantial detriment to the public good, and whether it will not substantially impair the intent and purpose of the zone plan and zoning ordinance.

What residents should do before the meeting

If you live near any of the parcels listed on the agenda, it’s smart to review the posted materials ahead of time—especially the exact setback/relief language for the Shakti7 LLC request.

The board application package explains that applications and plans are available for examination in the Planning and Zoning Office, 2400 Merchantville Avenue. If you’re deciding whether the proposal could affect your block or neighborhood, match the address and block-and-lot numbers on the agenda to the documents in the packet.

What remains uncertain until July 28

This article is about what the board has placed on its agenda for review—not about any approvals or denials. Until the Planning Board discusses the items and takes whatever next procedural steps it chooses for each application, residents won’t know whether the proposals move forward to additional review stages, require plan changes, or are otherwise handled through later board actions.

Sources

• Pennsauken Planning Board agenda (July 28, 2026) — agenda PDF
• Pennsauken Township Code, Chapter 141 (Development Regulations) on ecode360