West Windsor residents may have one more chance to save the redevelopment project.##M:[more]##
The June 4 presentation by Bob Hillier of the township’s plan for the area around the train station was not the momentous event it had been expected to be. Unlike previous workshops, the charrette process did not culminate in a packed room of residents eager to participate. Instead, Hillier offered to step down before he presented a fractured plan to a fractious administration and an audience of fewer than 100 residents—a fraction of the 400-plus who attended the charrettes.
Now the future of the embattled plan, seemingly opposed by a majority of residents and a majority of council, has an uncertain future at best. On Monday, June 18, at 7 p.m. Hillier will continue his presentation at Grover Middle School. If there is no public outpouring of interest or support, officials calling for a different plan and a different planner could get their wish.
Hillier set a somber tone at the start of the presentation. “We have done all we can to be the leaders of an exciting, open, and positive process,” said Hillier in his opening statement. “However, leaders need constituencies to lead and lately it has become clear that we have no constituency, no one telling us that is right and good about the plan upon which we can move forward. We feel that what was a positive process has been derailed by a contentious election and an increasingly divisive political environment – and we think it has jeopardized the project.” (See letter, page 2.)
The May 8 election put three opponents to the planning process on township council. Charles Morgan, Will Anklowitz, and the soon-to-be sworn-in George Borek represent a majority on the entity that will have the final vote on the redevelopment plan drafted by Hillier Architecture.
“There has been a change in climate,” said Hillier. “When a client changes, the change affects an architect. I offered myself up for the good of the town and the good of the project. We have done the best we can. I still believe it takes partnership, not partisanship to create a good plan.”
In the time since the election, Morgan has charged that Hillier did not live up to his contract. Morgan said also that if residents do not respond positively to the plan, it should have another charrette process.
At a press conference two days after the presentation, Hillier defended his charrettes. “I think the charrettes were done the right way. We have followed the letter of our contract.”
Morgan said the future of the process should be determined by a referendum. “We promised West Windsor residents a referendum, so we will give them a referendum,” said Morgan.
Morgan said on Monday, June 11, he will ask council to schedule an open mic meeting on Monday, July 2 for residents to discuss questions on a possible referendum. Township Attorney Michael J. Herbert has said that in the case of an area designated as being in need of redevelopment, a referendum is not lawful. (For more on Morgan v. Herbert, see article on page 16.) Many have said that the May 8 election was a referendum on the redevelopment.
“We cannot send Hillier off for the summer to write a redevelopment plan to be presented to the Planning Board in September,” said Morgan. “That means that the process envisioned in the contract with Hillier cannot move forward on the current time line. We will have to negotiate a different arrangement with Hillier—either they will withdraw permanently or they will work with us on an approach reflecting the results of the referendum.”
Critics of Hillier’s workshops have said a true charrette process would consist of meetings on several consecutive days, instead of three meetings one month apart. “What we’ve been able to do in the time between workshops is research, answer questions, get thoughtful feedback, and use that month to design,” said Hillier. “The other way, you’re working in a motel overnight, and you’re forced to come up with something to show people tomorrow. This is not a flat open meadow site. There is a very complex set of issues at work here, environmentally, functionally, and economically. You’ve got a train track running through the center. It’s too complex for someone to think they could do better in one week.”
Hillier says that since the presentation, the negative feedback has given way to more positive reactions. “Since people now start to see the character of the spaces we put together, their reaction is very positive.”
Hillier, Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, planning board Chairman Marvin Gardner, and many members of council and the planning board said they were disappointed by the turnout. Hsueh, who was on vacation for two weeks leading up to the meeting, said the township should have done more to inform the public about the meeting.
“I thought the presentation was excellent, but there were insufficient members of the public in attendance,” said Gardner. “I don’t think we publicized it adequately, and as a member of the steering committee, I share responsibility in that respect. You have to remind people.”
For each of the three workshops, the steering committee organized a publicity campaign that involved sending notification to each home in the township, and putting up banners in visible locations. There was no such publicity for the June 4 meeting.
“There was more information given at this meeting than at any of the others, and I suspect that is why there was no effort to inform people about this meeting,” said Bob Akens of Windsor Drive, who opposes the redevelopment plan in any form.
Hillier said the opposite is true, and he encourages the public to attend the June 18 presentation. “I hope people come forward. I want them to ask questions and make comments, so we can defend our choices and respond to the questions,” said Hillier. “All we’re hearing is the same people over and over who are against it.”
Hillier continued: “Yes, the mayor is in support of it, and the steering committee. But in a democracy, the people need to support it. We need to find a way to engage a wider cross-section of the town. We want to hear from young people who want to be able to afford to live in West Windsor, parents who want their kids to live close by when they leave the nest, and your classic senior empty nesters who want a place to move in town when they don’t need their big house anymore.”
“I think it is up to them to make the decision. We are simply the planners, facilitators, and designers of the redevelopment. If they decide they don’t need this, Then we don’t have a reason for being here.”
Many members of the township council and planning board, who were intended to ask questions of Hillier following the presentation, said they did not have enough time to formulate thoughtful questions. They are expected to ask more questions at the June 18 meeting, after they have reviewed the voluminous economic analyses that accompany the presentation.
“I could probably spend hours asking the thousands of questions I have about the plan, and I will when I have more time.” said Will Anklowitz. “But I’ll just say that I feel blindsided. None of this information was given to us in advance. We had nothing to prepare with.”
Morgan also backed off from giving any harsh criticism of the presentation. “We may be too much of a house divided to give you the direction you deserve. We haven’t been following the process we set forth,” said Morgan. “ I feel ill-equipped to give guidance without input from the residents of the township.”
Morgan said later that he has not reviewed the financial information on the proposal that was delivered to all council and planning board members on the day after the presentation. “I don’t see any point in spending time on a plan that is probably not going to happen.”
At this point, the future of the project is unknown. While Hillier is ready to throw in the towel, Hsueh has given him his full support. “Bob, don’t talk about stepping down again. People have brought their concerns, and you have responded very nicely,” said Hsueh.
The mayor’s support may not be enough to keep the project from being scrapped. Hsueh said the future of the redevelopment will be determined “depending on how council and planning board will handle it. We want the meeting on June 18 to be better attended, so we get more constructive ideas and positive comments. We need the public to provide a more specific direction.”
Some say the results of the May 8 election are the public’s specific direction concerning the project.
“You can’t judge by the election. We had a very low voter turnout,” said Hillier of the 23 percent of registered that voted on May 8. “It’s about the leadership now. Council, administration, and the planning board are charged with representing the town as a whole. It is easy to respond to the loudest voice. They need to look at all the impacts of proceeding with the plan and not proceeding with the plan.”
Hillier, who has held numerous charrettes, said that he has never been involved in a project that had been so politicized.
He underlined the need for the project. “I think the project is essential in the long term, and it should be viability just because of its essentialness,” he said. “It needs champions, advocates, and people willing to stand up for what is right and what they believe.”
The Presentation
The focus at the June 4 meeting put was on the zoning changes or proposed land uses that would dictate the terms of future construction in the redevelopment area.
Hillier remained specific about some parts of his vision for the township. “We have really connected the east and west side of the tracks through the connection at the bowl and the long bridge,” said Hillier. “We made that connection, and from that critical connection, we made a further connection to Route 571, the main street area, through the new village green. Then on the west side, we built a new promenade and farmers’ market that extends all the way to Vaughn drive. Within a five-minute walk, people would go from Vaughn Drive to 571, and that is an interesting chain of experiences. That is, to me, a golden chain of experiences.”
In order to facilitate those experiences, residents will presumably pay higher taxes, or accept the construction of new housing. Hillier said his firm’s recommendation is still to build 1,”000 new housing units, based on the anticipated affordable housing obligations, projections on the number of new school children the development would create, and financial analysis of the expected income generated by the new residents.
“That is based on the projection that the township will be required to allow for 200 affordable housing units,” said Hillier. “I didn’t want to build a low-cost affordable housing ghetto. Most new developments are making 1 in 8 or 1 in 5 homes affordable housing. We used the better or more favorable ratio.
Hillier continued: “We did not want a Forrestal Village. A lot of residents said at the outset that they wanted to avoid that. The reason it was not successful is there is no reason to go there, and nobody lives there.”
As residents requested, and Morgan demanded, Hillier presented a plan with projections for what the township could expect if the transit village were to include 250, 500, 750, or 1000 new homes. He also showed an analysis of what to expect if the current zoning is not changed. Each option was accompanied by a financial analysis, done by Economics Research Associates (ERA) consultant Shupratim Bhaumik.
Hillier outlined the amenities identified by the township as priorities for the project. He said it would be up to the township to decide which were most important. The list included a West Windsor resident parking garage, at 327,”690 square feet, at a cost of $21 million, a new fire/EMS/police station, at $1.75 million, a $1 million “Town Green,” and a $14 million athenaeum community facility.
For station improvements, the amenities include the “Bowl” connection between the east and west sides of the tracks, at $10 million, a new waiting area, at $600,”000, and a pedestrian crossing over the tracks, at a cost of $5 million.
The acquisition of properties could account for another $14 million, including $7 million to move Schlumberger to another location, $2 million to buy part of the property adjacent to the recently-constructed PNC bank. Both properties, adjacent to Wallace Road, would facilitate the creation of the town green, kiss-and-ride, and the “bowl” on the east side of the tracks.
The remediation of brown fields would cost $2 million, according to Hillier’s estimates.
He said it is now up to the township to decide which amenities are most important to the township. The more housing that is built, the more amenities the township will be able to finance.
Hillier said after the presentation that the township does not need to make a decision now on how much housing is ultimately built in the transit village. “We have identified the pieces in the zone, and we are making recommendations on the use land use. The township’s council and planning board, in their wisdom, can decide what is the density. They can leave that option out there.”
Hillier continued: “What they need to be careful of, is deciding on, say, 15 units per acre, building that in 2 story structures across the area zoned for the transit village. In that case, you have consume the land, you’re making mini-suburban sprawl. It’s better to say, we’re going to go in with 30 or 40 units per acre, but only going to use half the land now.”
The Infrastructure
The amenities projections also included what many see as the keystone to the plan, the Vaughn Drive connection.
Hillier’s estimates project a $17 million cost for the township. That figure is based on a verbal commitment from the Department of Transportation to finance half of the total cost of $34 million for the connection.
Gardner has said that the township should seek a more stable source of funding before making assumptions on the cost of the road. “He is making assumptions and I question these assumptions,” said Gardner. “The Penn’s Neck EIS, was once a high priority, and suddenly the money has disappeared, it keeps moving down the state’s priority list.”
Gardner continued: “I need to be convinced. A verbal commitment is totally unsatisfactory.”
Hsueh said getting a guarantee from the state is the next step. “The DOT basically said they would fund half of the project. I am going to continue meeting with them and get it in writing.”
Along with the Vaughn Drive connection, the plan envisions an extension of Station Drive, the road running alongside the current station on the west side of the tracks. It would begin at Alexander Road, near Old Bear Brook Road, and would run along the tracks, providing another access point to the station area.
West Windsor Walk is now envisioned as a connector road, with traffic traveling in both directions, separated by a wide green area in the center.
The infrastructure plan, presented by Jeff Green from Orth-Rogers, includes secondary roads that make connections between Station Drive and Vaughn Drive, forming a grid within which housing, office space, retail, and mixed-use structures could be built.
Another major part of the plan are roads that would extend into the Sarnoff Woods. One would connect with Station Drive, passing beneath Route 571 north of the train station. The road would make a wide loop back to Route 571 west of Vaughn Drive. The area within the loop would be zoned for office space.
This space, on the Sarnoff property, would presumably be the location for the company’s already planned and approved development. Hillier said he has spoken with Sarnoff brass to see if they would be willing to put that development closer to Route 1 to and not disrupt the Sarnoff Woods. “But they thought it would be more valuable to develop the land closer to the train station.”
The Alexander Road-Sherbrook connection is no longer a part of the plan. Route 571, over time, would be converted to a street with a grassy center divider, 12 foot car travel lanes in both directions, six foot bike lanes on either side, and wide sidewalks. Hsueh said Mercer County has committed to aiding the transformation of the county road between Clarksville and Cranbury roads.
The proposed infrastructure is laced with pedestrian pathways and bike paths. There are also trails designed to run through the open space in the redevelopment zone. The zone would remain approximately 50 percent open space.
