There is no need to wait until next Fourth of July to see fireworks. Charles Morgan’s return to the West Windsor Planning Board could cause sparks to fly. The planning board meeting on Wednesday, July 11 will include a number of controversial topics, as well as a re-organization and Charles Morgan’s return to its ranks.##M:[more]##
Morgan was named to the board at the July 1 council reorganization meeting. He has served on the board with Chairman Marvin Gardner and Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh before, but has recently been critical of the planning board and of both Gardner and Hsueh.
The planning board’s annual reorganization will take place on July 11. Following the election (or re-election) of chairman and vice chair, the board will hear from John Madden, the town’s consultant planner, on the subject of signage.
According to Gardner, Madden’s presentation is the first in a series that will touch on all aspects of signage in the town, from roadside advertising signs to commercial signs on storefronts. The board is not expected to take action on the subject at this meeting.
The report on Ward Road will be delivered to the planning board. The connection of the two sides of Ward Road has been protested by residents who seek to keep traffic on their streets down. The planning board staff has compiled a report on the subject, and the board could vote on whether to go forward, allowing the road to be completed, or to amend the Master Plan to remove the road construction as an eventuality.
Once again, the proposed Hilton Gardens Hotel and Office Park is appearing before the planning board. Switzenbaum Realty seeks to build a 160-room hotel and four office buildings on a tract located between Lowe’s Home Store on Route 1 and the Meadow Lane apartments on Meadow Road.
The township has granted a variance to allow the construction of the hotel and 128,”414 square feet of office space. However, the owner of the apartment complex has filed multiple lawsuits to block the development.
The complex would include four office buildings and a six-story hotel on 63.8 acres of land. It would have access points from Route 1 and from Meadow Road. The plan provides for 849 parking spaces.
