Cherry Hill Town Center

The Cherry Hill Town Center in South Baltimore includes the Family Dollar and other retail shops, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and the Cherry Hill Senior Center. The exciting new renovation of the center began with a months-long listening-to-serve initiative, followed by a ceremonial groundbreaking in March 2020. The project is aimed at bringing the community’s own vision for its town center to life. Phase I includes a facade renovation and the opening of Cherry Hill’s first-ever physical bank branch at Chase Bank, near the library, opening in summer 2020. Phase II will be the remodeling of the current food court into a community gathering space. Phase III will be a marketplace, offering fresh food, a community kitchen, healthy cooking programming, entrepreneur pop-up space, a café, and more.

“Thank you for giving us an opportunity to help us,” Cherry Hill Community Coalition Chair Michael Middleton said at the groundbreaking as he welcomed his community members. “Let this day be a day that’s marked as a first step to so many bridge steps that will happen.”

The full project is slated for completion in late summer 2021.

The power of compassion in action

“I grew up in Cherry Hill and remember the shopping center as our gathering place. Over time the vitality of the center eroded until 75% of the stores were vacant. When Catholic Charities took over, new life was breathed back into the center. The old movie theater that had been vacant for 30 years was developed into a food court. The library, senior center, and Southern Community Action Center opened. With the opening of Family Dollar this year, the center is nearing 100% occupancy. It’s really wonderful to have Cherry Hill’s Town Center back as the center of community life, supporting local business, and at the same time bringing a national retailer to the neighborhood.”

Cathy B. McClain
Former Executive Director
Cherry Hill Trust, Inc.