West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh spent his first four years in office creating a vision of the township’s future.##M:[more]## After being sworn into his second four-year term on July 1, the mayor is moving full speed ahead to bring his plans to fruition.
Although Hsueh received almost 90 percent of the vote in the May municipal election, he vows that he won’t use that mandate to force his agenda without seeking residents’ input. “If anything,” he adds, “I feel obligated to do more for the community.”
As evidence, shortly after his re-election Hsueh held a town hall meeting with residents in order to talk about their issues and concerns in the township. The mayor held his first open meeting earlier this year.
“The first meeting was a lot more structured,” says Hsueh. “This time I let people ask all sorts of questions and talk about different issues. This is a very well-educated community and people have a lot to offer and contribute.” Hsueh promises to continue to hold the town hall meetings at least once every quarter.
The mayor says one of the first steps in his second term is a look at the groups and task forces that he appointed during his first term.
The Business Advisory Group, which formed the West Windsor Business Alliance and Community Farmers’ Market is being considered for reorganization.
Ongoing groups include the Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force, Grovers Mill Pond Task Force, Property Tax Review Task Force, and the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Task Force.
The Arts Center Formation Task Force became West Windsor Arts Council, and the Open Space Utilization Task Force accomplished its goal and was disbanded.
“They were appointed to focus on issues I felt had gone unaddressed in the past,” says Hsueh. “Going into my second term, I want to see how effective they have been, and how their results match up with my long-term vision for the township.”
Hsueh also wants to look at the performance of administration. “I feel obligated to review what we are doing and make sure we are able to accomplish the tasks that are in front of us.”
Another area the mayor wants to immediately address is reaching an agreement with Mercer County on Route 571. Currently the township is working on a plan for the reconfiguration of the highway through downtown Princeton Junction. The town released a concept plan earlier this year and professionals are finalizing a plan to present to the county.
“Once we can come to an agreement with the county,” Hsueh says, “we can then go to state and federal government agencies and try to get funding restored for the project.” Funds for Route 571 had been allocated in the early 1990s, but the money was taken off the table in 1998 after the township and county failed to agree on a plan for the reconstruction of the road.
Another priority during the coming term will be to push for a plan for redevelopment of the area around the train station. If the redevelopment moves forward, it will take coordination between various levels of government to see the project built, says Hsueh. “We have to line up all the government agencies that would be involved in the redevelopment.” The project includes working with the county, the state Department of Transportation, New Jersey Transit, and the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The mayor says he expects the planning board to hold a series of meetings this fall to investigate what needs to be done to develop a master plan for the area that incorporates the various pieces of the redevelopment puzzle, including:
The Transit Village. New Jersey Transit is currently completing a vision study for a transit village at the train station and is expected to release its findings imminently, according to Hsueh.
Redevelopment Designation. Township professionals are conducting a study to determine if the downtown Junction qualifies for designation by the state as a redevelopment area. Such a designation would open the township to special funding for improvements.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). NJT is putting the finishing touches on a study to determine if a bus rapid transit mass transit system is feasible along the Route 1 corridor. If the state pursues BRT, it would have to be integrated into plans for the transit village.
The Alexander Road Bridge. According to Hsueh, the DOT hopes to award a contract for the construction of a new bridge in early 2006. Complicating the issue, the township was recently informed that since the bridge spans the railroad tracks, the plan must be approved by Amtrak, which has just suffered a series of cuts in federal funding. Officials at Amtrak informed the township that normally such a review takes several months, but they now have no idea how long it will take.
Environmental Problems. The area where the township’s compost station is currently located (on Alexander Road near the train station) once served as the township dump and might be the subject of a state-mandated cleanup. Next to that tract is the former location of Princeton Polychrome Press, where it is feared that chemicals from the plant may have contaminated the soil.
“Putting all of these together is going to be a complicated process,” says Hsueh. “This project is more than just the train station. There’s many different concerns and we have to start working on them now.”
Of course, the most important concern is gauging the opinion of township residents on the project, and making sure their voices are heard during the planning process. Hsueh says that while he was campaigning door-to-door before the election, many people said they were in favor of the transit village.
“The majority got very excited when we talked about the project,” says Hsueh. “A lot of them said that they have heard talk for years about plans for redevelopment, but this is the first time they feel like something is actually happening.”
Another project on the horizon is the possibility that the University Medical Center at Princeton will relocate to West Windsor. Hospital officials are said to have narrowed the final selection to the Carnegie Center North site on Route 1 in West Windsor, or the Princeton Nurseries tract in Plainsboro. The final decision, some believe, could be delayed by uncertainty over how the hospital will dispose of its current site.
While the mayor favors having the hospital come to West Windsor, he would like to give the public an opportunity to be heard. “Before the hospital submits anything official, I would like to hold a public meeting to ensure that the whole community has a chance for input into the process.”
Some residents in Canal Pointe and Colonnade Pointe oppose the hospital relocating to Carnegie North , which is adjacent to the developments. Hsueh says he understands their concerns, but cannot make any decisions until the hospital announces its specific intentions. “I have no idea at this point what they are going to do. I believe no government agency should say no to a project like this until they are presented with a plan.”
The hospital isn’t the only project on Route 1 that officials are contemplating. The ultimate fate of the General Growth tract (formerly known as the Rouse tract, the Wyeth property and American Cyanamid) is still up in the air. The 600-plus acre tract has been identified as one of the crown jewel sites for commercial development in central New Jersey.
During Hsueh’s first term, the township told the property owners to develop a traffic plan before the township would consider a proposal on the site. “They have been reluctant to come back with a plan because of the problem of traffic in the area,” says Hsueh. “If they decide that there is no way to fix traffic on Route 1, then they may have to scale back their plans for development.”
While most other undeveloped properties on Route 1 have approvals, many are not developing now because of the slow commercial market. Hsueh says that when the developers come in for extensions or amendments to their approvals, it offers the township an opportunity to ask for traffic circulation and mass transit changes on the sites, such as providing for a bus rapid transit system.
The mayor is a supporter of a bus rapid transit — a mass transit system in which specially-designed buses travel on designated routes to facilitate speedier travel. “As more and more traffic is added to the roads, people are going to appreciate the need for good mass transit systems.
“You have to be forward looking. Some of these plans might not make much sense now, but maybe 10 years from now people are going to be happy that we looked at these things.” According to Hsueh, the state is expected to release its findings on the feasibility of bus rapid transit this month.
With the election of his two running mates — Linda Geevers and Heidi Kleinman to council and the other three council members — Kristin Appelget, Franc Gambatese, and Charlie Morgan — having endorsed him in the campaign, Hsueh is hoping that relations with the administrative and legislative branches will improve.
“You are still going to see disagreements, but we can agree to disagree. As long as we are able to deal with each other with respect and treat each other as professionals, it’s a good thing,” says the mayor.
To further this end, sometime in August Hsueh would like to meet in a one-day “retreat” with council to talk about issues and set goals and priorities for the coming year.
The mayor also wants to see improved communications with the public. In addition to the quarterly town hall meetings, the mayor may also want to pursue the hiring of a township communications director. Several other council members have also expressed support for the position, including Gambatese, Geevers, and Kleinman.
Hsueh would also like to make better use of the cable channel for government affairs offered by Comcast cable, and improve on the township’s website at www.westwindsornj.org.
The mayor says he also wants to focus not only on informing people about the future of the township, but also on its past. “I want to make sure that West Windsor will be known as the township that was the birth of high technology, while also maintaining its agricultural roots.
The mayor says he is considering trying to find a volunteer who could act as a township historian, and expand on the collection of historical items at the historic Schenck House in Zaitz Park, the home of the township’s Historical Society.
As Hsueh embarks on his second term, the mayor says he has no shortage of ideas for making the township an even better place to live. “There is so much I would like to do, I don’t think I will be around long enough to see it all happen.”
