Bob Hillier says the next plan could include an innovative concept for the new train station that might literally bring commuters closer to the “pie in the sky” shown in the popular Plan D. ##M:[more]##
At the third public redevelopment workshop on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. at Grover Middle School, architect Bob Hillier will present one plan to the residents of West Windsor. It may be the last opportunity for the public to give feedback to the planner, but it will be neither the final meeting nor the final plan.
After further tweaking based on comments and criticisms voiced by the public at the April 19 meeting, “the Plan” is scheduled to be presented at a joint meeting of West Windsor’s council and planning board on Monday, June 4. The meeting is expected to take place at Grover School rather than Town Hall to accommodate the hundreds of residents who have participated in the creation of the plan.
While Bob Hillier and his representatives would not announce details of the final design scheme to be presented for review at the April 19 workshop, an image of the plan could be inferred from comments and answers to questions posed at the April 9 open house at Hillier’s office.
“If Plan D was the Big Move, then the next plan might be called the Little Move,” Hillier told one of about 50 people gathered in the firm’s lobby at 500 Alexander Park. Moving the station up to the bridge at Route 571, Hillier said, turned out to be a horrendously expensive proposition. He said an early figure for the total cost was $750 million. Later meetings with New Jersey Transit officials, according to Hillier and Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, put the cost of moving the station at between $50 and $100 million — still more than either New Jersey Transit or Amtrak, co-owners of the station, would spend. The costs involved not only building a new station under an existing bridge, but also large amounts of track switching and signaling capacity.
Instead, he said, moving the station slightly north, in the direction of the power station and the existing Route 571 bridge, would pave the way for a plan that would incorporate elements from all four designs shown at the March 17 workshop as well as an innovative concept for the new train station that might literally bring commuters closer to the “pie in the sky” shown in the popular Plan D.
The new station would be covered, and would link the east and west sides of the project with an overhead concourse, possibly lined with shops and restaurants, adding another means for travelers to get from one side of the tracks to the other.
According to Hillier, the plan for the area around the train station will combine the concepts seen in Plan B for the west side of the tracks and in Plan C for the east side.
On the west side, in the area of the existing tracks for the Dinky train from Princeton, Hillier said he envisions a large office building and a housing development. According to Plan B, those buildings would be as tall as eight stories.
The idea of the large office building had been roundly criticized at the second workshop, but Hillier blamed that in part on his own presentation. “I made the point that it could be occupied by one large tenant,” possibly a large corporation escaping high rents in Manhattan, “and people worried that the corporation might pull out after 10 years and leave the township stuck with the building” and no property tax income.
But, in fact, Hillier noted, there is no reason why such a building could not be a multi-tenant building, and — in any case — the property taxes would be the building owner’s responsibility.
Hillier noted that the density of development offered by Plan B could enable the final plan to leave the Sarnoff Woods in the redevelopment area to be dedicated as permanent open space. Would Sarnoff agree? “They seem amenable,” said Hillier, though Sarnoff would probably want to see its land “re-densified” with future development near Route 1, leaving the woods intact.
On the east side, moving the train station a hundred yards or so to the north would be coupled with the acquisition of the current Schlumberger property across Wallace Road from the train station. That would enable the plan to create a single town center and village green, comparable to that of Palmer Square in downtown Princeton, connecting the train station and the new village-style “main street” on Route 571, or Princeton-Hightstown Road. Hillier suggested that residential units would be incorporated above the retail units at the street level.
How feasible would it be to move Schlumberger from its longtime home base? Not impossible, said Hillier. “We’ve been talking to the higher-ups and they have been helpful.”
Hillier said other possibilities might be worked into the proposal. The idea of extending the Dinky line to Plainsboro (the fifth line of tracks is already in place and is interrupted only by the Plainsboro Road bridge, a structure that needs to be rebuilt in any case). “That could eliminate nearly 1,”000 trips a day into town,” Hillier said, on the assumption that commuters from Plainsboro already using the Princeton Junction station could be persuaded to take the Dinky instead. The architect noted that the distance from the Junction to Plainsboro is the same as it is to downtown Princeton.
At a press conference with Hillier and Bradley Walters, a Hillier architect, Princeton Junction resident, and former member of the West Windsor planning board, Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said the idea of extending the Dinky line to Plainsboro has been discussed in the past, but he foresees difficulty with that proposal due to environmental concerns.
Another idea presented as part of Plan C at the second workshop — the idea of re-routing Alexander Road so that it would intersect Princeton-Hightstown Road opposite Sherbrooke Drive — got mixed reviews from participants at the workshop and attendees at the open house. “We have heard from people worried about that and the amount of traffic it would put into the Sherbrooke neighborhood,” said Hillier. But on the other hand, he noted, it would allow one light on Princeton-Hightstown Road, roughly at the point where the new town center begins, rather than two lights spaced too closely together.
Some of the open house attendees noted that motorists already are sneaking through the Sherbrooke neighborhood to circumvent rush hour traffics jams. Hillier thought that the realignment of Alexander Road might be accompanied by the conversion of several streets in Sherbrooke to be converted to cul de sacs to prevent short cuts.
Hillier said the Sherbrooke- Alexander Road connection would be one of many possibilities that will be presented to workshop participants on April 19 as yes/no questions following a 30 minute presentation of the single plan. “We’re going to show the scheme, and we will also show how, if something can’t be accomplished, you can back off of certain elements and still maintain the plan.”
Hillier expects to present the plan at the start of the meeting, then break participants into smaller groups to discuss ideas and answer the list of yes/no questions. The final hour of the upcoming meeting, like the first two, will be dedicated to group leaders publicly presenting their group’s reaction to — and suggestions for — the plan.
“I think we’ve gotten greater public participation here than we’ve ever seen before,” said Hillier of the planning process thus far. “It’s democracy in action. At the end of the day, everyone is going to feel better about it. It will be their town, that they created.”
Hillier said that while those who have been most vocal about the plans have expressed negative reactions to the proposed changes, he has had a great deal of positive feedback.
Residents have been most vocal in opposing to the 1,”000 housing units included in each of the plans. Additionally, people have shown concern about whether the proposed solutions will in fact be improvements over the area’s current problems. The architect said people have asked him, “Will this create more traffic on my street?” and “Will I have to go through more lights to get to the train station in the morning?”
“I think most people’s reactions to the project get personalized,” said Hillier. “I accept the personal aspects, but I don’t want them to lose the community aspect.”
Hillier said community is a key word to keep in mind when considering the new housing units. He says there are many reasons this housing is necessary. “One problem with this site is that it is isolated. Residents are going to be needed to give the place some vibrancy. Otherwise we have the same problems as Forrestal Village.”
In addition to giving the new downtown life, Hillier said the new residences are needed “to make this something developers are going to want to build. The units will pay for this now, and the taxes from that development is revenue for the township in the future. They will be the economic engine that will help drive the thing.”
Hillier also addressed an April 9 New York Times article about Washington Township and the problems created by its 400-acre Washington Town Center. “In the nine years since construction began the schools are overflowing, property taxes are skyrocketing, and the main streets are clogged,” said the Times report.
Hillier said the problems with Washington’s development do not apply to West Windsor’s redevelopment. “Forty percent of the residential units in Washington Township are all 3 and 4 bedroom houses. It’s very ‘kid friendly.’ What we’re talking about here are small studio, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments for empty nesters,” said Hillier. “Additionally, there is no mass transit center in Washington Township, and our project is based entirely around the train station.”
