West Windsor and Mercer County officials have come to an agreement on a circulation plan for a new office building in the heart of the Princeton Junction business district.##M:[more]##
On Wednesday, September 14, the West Windsor Planning Board is expected to hear an application for a new 10,”080-square-foot office building on Princeton-Hightstown Road at the intersection of Sherbrooke Drive — directly across from the entrance to the Acme shopping center.
The application, by developer CDNJ, proposes the construction of a two-story building on the 2.1-acre property, formerly owned by Lolly Dey, a lifelong township resident who died earlier this year.
According to Sam Surtees, West Windsor manager of land use, CDNJ is proposing a project that will include offices, space for a financial institution with banking facilities, and two drive-through windows.
A major sticking point in the application between the county and the township was over the use of Sherbrooke Drive — also the entrance to the neighboring Sherbrooke Estates residential development — as a point of access to the project.
Professional staff at Mercer County approved a version of the plan that called for all access to the project to be off of Sherbrooke Drive. Because the project is located on a county road, it must also receive approval from the Mercer County Planning Board.
According to Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, township officials and residents in the neighboring Sherbrooke Estates feared that the use of Sherbrooke Drive to access the project would promote traffic through the development.
“People are already using Norchester Drive as an alternate to Route 571 from Clarksville Road to get to the Acme. Opening the project to Sherbrooke would encourage that use,” says Hsueh. Norchester Drive is a road in Sherbrooke Estates that runs parallel to Princeton-Hightstown Road, connecting Clarksville Road and Sherbrooke Drive.
Planning Board Chairman Marvin Gardner also agreed with Hsueh, but adds that the township’s position changed after receiving a letter from the county that spelled out significant traffic safety concerns with putting the entrance and exit to the project on Route 571.
According to Gardner, the letter reasoned that allowing a left turn onto Route 571 from the project would produce additional vehicle conflicts with traffic entering and exiting Al’s Sunoco and the Acme shopping center.
The letter also stated that left turns from Route 571 into the project would also hinder through traffic on the road, blocking eastbound traffic. It also said that allowing a new full access on Route 571 would introduce additional conflicts for pedestrians and cyclists.
“Our professionals reviewed their letter and concur with a great deal of the content of their position,” says Gardner. As a result, Hsueh and township professionals met with Sherbrooke Estates residents and county officials and came up with a compromise.
Under the compromise scenario, left turns into and out of the Route 571 entrance would be prohibited. Left turns out of the project from the Sherbrooke Drive access would also be barred in an effort to keep traffic out of the residential neighborhood.
Gardner says that the township has also agreed to conduct a traffic survey in advance of the completion of project, if it is approved, and a survey after operations commence at the site to determine the impacts on the residential streets leading to Sherbrooke Drive.
After the site opens, the township will also attempt to secure an easement from the project that would allow access to Carlton Place and out onto Cranbury Road.
Gardner adds that although the developer had not yet been notified of the recommended changes, he is confident that CDNJ will not have a problem with them.
Meanwhile, the proposal will be the fourth in recent years to be heard by the township for new projects on old properties along Route 571. Ironically, these projects have been proposed to the township as it continues to work on plans for the redevelopment of the area.
The Planning Board is tentatively scheduled to discuss the results of two studies in the coming weeks. On Wednesday, September 21, the board is scheduled to review the latest version of a plan for the reconstruction of Route 571 through the downtown Junction area.
On Wednesday, November 2, township professionals are expected to present the board with the findings of a study on whether the Princeton Junction business district qualifies as a redevelopment area as defined by the state.
But these studies may be too late to affect projects on key parcels in the downtown already underway. In addition to the CDNJ application, three other projects are underway:
• A 3,”650-square-foot PNC Bank/office building at the corner of Route 571 and Wallace Road (the former location of Lucar Hardware and the Lick It ice cream stand). Site clearing has already commenced on the project.
• A 24-hour convenience store on the site of the Mobil gas station at Route 571 and Alexander Road. The project was originally rejected by the zoning board but allowed by the state Superior Court on appeal.
• A proposal for a Rite Aid at the corner of Route 571 and Cranbury Road (directly across from the PNC Bank site), the current location of an auto service station. Also included in the concept is the renovation of the adjacent shopping center, which currently houses Chicken Holiday, Domino’s Pizza, BYOB restaurant, and Bristle Brothers paint store.
The proposed CDNJ building is similar in size to the adjacent office building at 55 Princeton-Hightstown Road and will replace the two houses that currently sit on the tract. According to Surtees, an 8,”692-square-foot barn currently used for offices and storage will remain on the property. The proposal is consistent with current zoning regulations.
Surtees says that lacking a master plan for the downtown Junction, township professionals have been working with CDNJ officials to configure the project in a way that is consistent with the township’s vision for the area.
For example, CDNJ has been encouraged to apply for a variance from the township’s front yard setback requirements. “We would like to see the building closer to the road to give the project a more downtown look,” says Surtees. The downtown village concept envisions buildings that are close to the road with parking in the rear.
Gardner agrees that the township can work with developers seeking approval for projects that come in before a plan for the Junction downtown is finished.
“There needs to be a consistent pattern for development otherwise it will become a hodgepodge,” Gardner says. “They (CDNJ) originally came in with plans for a brick building. We had an opportunity to bring some of the residents from Sherbrooke in to review it, and they thought it should have an appearance more consistent with character of the residential area. We asked the developer to revise the plans and they modified them in a very aggressive way to meet the concerns of the residents.”
