Mayor Irwin Edelson and the Mt. Laurel Township Council broke ground on a new emergency medical building on Route 73 to replace the structure on Church Street.
The state-of-the-art building, expected to open in 2021, provides a new home for EMS as a base of operations to deliver its quality services to residents in the central and western areas of Mt. Laurel.
“Station 368’s relocation provides a critical service and improvement addition for our first responders by putting an EMS facility closely located to Route 73, Route 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike, helping EMS improve its response time to these areas of need,” said Mayor Irwin Edelson.
The State of New Jersey required Station 368’s relocation from Church Street to a new location when it was revealed that Green Acres restrictions do not permit the existing building to continue its EMS mission because the lands are dedicated to open space.
In exploring its options, some of which could have cost millions of dollars, the township met with a redeveloper who offered to construct the new EMS facility on Route 73 free of charge. The developer bought the land, sought all approvals and will construct the building on its own dime; in exchange, the developer will use the exterior of the second floor of the facility for digital media advertising.
“Working with the developer, the township turned a significant financial burden into a huge win for the taxpayers,” said Edelson.