Future Brewery Could Transform Moorestown's Business Landscape, Owner Says

MOORESTOWN, NJ — A microbrewery planned for the Community House would improve Moorestown's business landscape, according to one of its prospective owners.

Moorestown's Planning Board voted Thursday in favor of a proposal to transform part of the community center into Moorestown's first microbrewery.

The business, called Community House Brewery, will be operated by King's Road Brewing Company, which opened its first microbrewery nearly a decade ago in Haddonfield.

Haddonfield, like Moorestown, is a historically dry town. But Robert Hochgertel, one of Kings Road's co-owners, says the brewery helped transform Haddonfield's downtown.

Hochgertel believes Community House Brewing will similarly benefit Moorestown.

"That's really the key of Kings Road — people stay (in Downtown Haddonfield) because it is open," Hochgertel said at the Planning Board meeting. "It is open before dinner and after dinner, and so are the stores around it."

Community House Brewery is set to open by late 2025 or early 2026, according to the project's website. King's Road will operate the "education-based" brewery, partnering with Rowan College at Burlington County to give students hands-on industry experience.

The Community House — a privately owned community center in a 99-year-old mansion — is merely acting as the host venue and is not involved in the operations.

The taproom will occupy the "library" — a room on the first floor that's currently used for wedding receptions and other events. Beer will be brewed in the basement area directly below. The building's footprint will not change.

It will operate during the following hours, according to township documents:

• Monday through Thursday: 3-10 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday: 12-10 p.m.
• Sunday: 12-8 p.m.

The Planning Board unanimously approved the project, with several conditions that the applicants agreed to follow. Among them, the Community House will add a third dumpster.

The Community House will also improve the "wayfinding" sign at the Main Street entrance so give people a better idea of where to enter. An arrow will also be placed at the rear exit onto East Prospect Avenue.

Community House Executive Director Pamela Henshall said she'd welcome opportunities to improve the facility's signage, which often confuses drivers trying to enter.

"We have challenges all the time," Henshall said at the meeting. "I was hired a year ago. You sometimes have to go around the block twice just to show up for an interview."

During the hearing, some residents expressed concerns about the project. Fred Young, who lives nearby, worried about unruly behavior seeping into the surrounding area.

"Who’s going to take care of a situation at a business in Moorestown — not Super Buy Rite, not in the mall but in a residential area — who’s going to monitor the behavior?" Young said.