West Windsor has not yet decided on a planner for its upcoming Princeton Junction area redevelopment, but area businesses are already making changes based on the overhaul. Two businesses located on Route 571, the road expected to be turned into a virtual “”Main Street”” by the project, will be subject to legislation put in place to ensure that their locations mesh with the rest of the proposed transit village.
The renovation of the Mobil gas station on the corner of Route 571 and Alexander Road, originally rejected by the Zoning Board but then approved by a judge in a court appeal, will now be required to include widening of the roadway at the intersection.
West Windsor and Mercer County earlier this year reached an agreement regarding widening and improving the roadway. Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said the township is pursuing assistance on the project from the state department of transportation. This is necessary since the county road turns into a state road briefly, at the bridge over the railroad tracks near the Princeton Junction train station.
Hsueh said the township’s plans for the roadway’s appearance post-redevelopment will not be affected by the agreement, nor by the judge’s decision on the Mobil station renovation. Said Hsueh, “The whole design of 571 can accommodate whatever has been decided. The fact that it is going to be wider over there will provide more opportunities for lanes for bikes and pedestrians.”
Hsueh said his redevelopment committee continues to review the planners’ applications, and he expects them to decide on three finalists by the end of September. Those three will be asked to make live presentations to the township before a final decision is made.
The application for a proposed Rite-Aid Pharmacy on Route 571, meanwhile, was the subject of debate at a recent council meeting where members voiced concerns about the site fitting in with the township’s plan for the redevelopment area.
Councilman Charles Morgan described his concerns with the proposed pharmacy: “It’s the wrong kind of building situated the wrong way on the site, located on a piece of property that is too small to accommodate everything that they want in the configuration that they have proposed.”
Township land use manager Samuel Surtees said the original proposal has been reviewed by the township and changes have been requested and those changes are now in the hands of the applicant. The application must still pass a review by the zoning board, and early indications are that the zoning board will require additional changes of the application.
Morgan said of the changes: “It is impossible to predict what the redevelopment area concepts will become, so it is impossible to provide Rite Aid any guidance other than conceptual guidance. We hope and expect that they will work with the town to meet our minimum expectations.”
A more definite idea of the redevelopment concept will come once the township selects a planner for the redevelopment project. Seventeen proposals are currently being considered, and the township expects to outline its criteria for selecting the planner by September.
The Mobil gas station has been approved to undergo renovations. The project, expected to take several months, will include improved gas pumps and a convenience store on the corner lot, and will also include widening the road. Several townships including West Windsor have approved a conceptual plan to improve traffic along Route 571, also known as Princeton-Hightstown Road. The concept includes widening the road. The gas station, owned by G & B Associates, sits at one of the narrowest points on the thoroughfare.
G & B Associates originally proposed a renovation in 2002, but was denied. The owners then sued the township and the Superior Court overturned the decision made by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The renovation is expected to take several months from the time work begins.
More changes may be in store further east on Route 571. The Site Plan Review Advisory Board (SPRAB) will consider a proposal for a residential subdivision at 250 Princeton Hightstown Road at its meeting on Monday, July 24. The owner of the property, Umberto Pirone, declined to comment on the application, but confirmed that he plans to build another house on his nearly 4-acre lot. The plans appear to be in line with the township’s zoning requirements.
