While most participants seemed to leave the February 22 charrette with a positive attitude, some have suggested that the initiative’s catch phrase “All Aboard!” seems more like a command than an exclamation. ##M:[more]##Some attendees and township officials said the structure of the meeting and the questionnaire appeared to lead the discussion and the public’s input.
“I was impressed with the turnout, but I was distressed over the structured way the people were not allowed to address the basic questions. The questionnaires seemed to prejudge an answer, and the fundamental question of whether we want a transit village was not there,” said Councilman Charles Morgan.
Morgan later said he tried to obtain copies of all the questionnaires filled out at the charrette, but said that Hillier would not release them. “I think a certain scale is being assumed, and that it’s more than the community wants. I’m concerned we aren’t going to hear what the community wants,” said Morgan.
“I think the discussion was led in a way that gave Hillier a great deal of latitude in creating the plan. There were no questions about what amount of housing should be included. I expect after the three plans are created, that will be a main topic of discussion at the next meeting,” said Stan Katz.
Katz is a WW-P school board member and the area’s “de facto demographer.” On February 5 he gave council a presentation on his projections for how much more housing could be built without creating the need to build another school. The bottom line: As many as 800 new units could be built between now and 2010 with no new schools needed.
“No matter how you phrase the questions, there is going to be someone who says something else should have been asked,” countered Council President Linda Geevers. “We were sure to include blank space where people could write in any opinions they wanted to express. They had the opportunity to get that across when their table leader came to the podium as well.”
In the months leading up to the meeting, debates raged on council and in the public about whether new housing should be a part of redevelopment. Opponents to the construction of a transit village have been vocal, but were barely apparent during the comment session. One table leader said some in his group thought there should be no additional housing, a remark that drew scattered applause.
The majority of comments seemed to show that the public has accepted that additional housing will be a part of the redevelopment. Many said they were most concerned that it be tax-positive or tax-neutral.
“I think a clear consensus from listening to the comments made by residents is a concern about the number of residential units and the type of housing stock and who will occupy those units,” said Planning Board Chairman Marvin Gardner. “I think the planner has to take those comments into consideration, but also has to evaluate what other areas he wants to include in the overall development. It’s pure speculation at this point as to what the number of housing units built should be. The number could be very low. I think it’s premature to make any judgments in that regard.”
The designation of transit village by the Department of Transportation, is more than just a label; it also means some state funding would be available. Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said the designation is a goal. “If we get it there will be additional support from the state. The way I see it, the township already meets those requirements.” And those requirements, Hsueh continued, do not include numbers for minimum housing density.
Anish Kumar, director of urban design and planning for Hillier, called the charrette “the largest I have conducted, in terms of the number of people. We’re looking forward to having all of those people come to the next one. The more people who come to these meetings the better and more rigorous our recommendations will be. It will be informed by a better cross section of people. I encourage everyone to come to the next meeting with their own list of two or three criteria that they will judge the project by. Tell us how well what we show you meets those needs.”
Continued Kumar: “I think what West Windsor seems to lack most are connections. Connections between the villages, connections to the train station. Ways to connect. If you are going to create a vibrant, village-style community, there is always that place where people gather. Our goal is to look through everything and come up with a list of criteria that we will use to evaluate the options. Those options are only as good as the success with which they meet those objectives, of what you told us you would want. Everyone said it should not have a negative affect on taxes. So that becomes a criteria. There will be four or five or six criteria that we use. If we could get 100 percent of all five criteria, that’s paradise, that’s utopia. I think there will have to be a balance. You will have to give some of one thing to meet others.
Traffic and parking consultant Tom Calu said he was “amazed” at the quantity of comments regarding parking. “That pleased me because I think everyone realizes it’s a linchpin for the project. There wasn’t a comment about parking that wasn’t useful. That is not to say that everything is going to work out perfectly in response to every single concern. But there was certainly a level of intelligence to the comments and a level of thought .”
Some residents raised the possibility of wrapping the power station with structured parking. “Wrapping the power plant appears to be a preference and a good idea, esthetically if for no other reason,” said Calu. “The question is, where ought the parking be located? If the parking can be located in a place where it can wrap nd hide a power plant, that’s a perfect combination.”
Bradley Walter, a Hillier associate and a former West Windsor Planning Board member, noted another opportunity in the vicinity of the power station. “We gain the 571 side if we were to relocate the township’s bus parking area, which is literally right next to the power station. There is a little bit of space there that could be something.
“Some folks reminded us not to forget about Route 571,” Walter said. “You get very different responses whenever you’re talking about mixed use. What’s important for us is not separating out a piece of it, but how do you create one thing out of all this.”
Planning Board chairman Marvin Gardner also noted the large turnout. “What was compelling was the fact that people were literally thinking out of the box to resolve issues that have perplexed the township for many years.
“The fact that they were not only willing to identify those issues but were also suggesting some remedies for those problems, bodes well. Every suggestion has a consequence and we will need to determine if it is a positive consequence or how it might negatively affect some other issue that comes into play.”
Linda Geevers, Council president and a member of the steering committee along with Heidi Kleinman, Gardner, and Hsueh, said that “the public is right on task with the issues. The traffic and circulation issues that they’re addressing are important as is the idea that we want to make this tax positive. We’re hearing alot about people’s environmental concerns and including green buildings.
“It was all very positive. It was a fantastic night for West Windsor. It’s inspiring to see the exchange of ideas between residents who have never even met.
“I think there could be more at the next meeting. It’s going to build momentum, and get around town, at the next meeting, people’s curiosity will start peaking to see what the three proposed scenarios are.”
Added Kleinman: “The ball is finally in play. This initial dialogue will filter through the neighborhoods as residents debate ideas and design proposals. With each conversation we are a step closer to building consensus.”
