Although the Hillier Group’s charrettes have not yet begun, the look and feel of what will be the West Windsor Town Center is beginning to become clear. The Planning Board approved a draft ordinance which includes specific guidelines for what will and will not be allowed to be built along Princeton-Hightstown Road, from Cranbury to Clarksville Roads.##M:[more]##
The ordinance, approved 9-0 after amendments were made, will now be sent to council for a vote and deliberation. The discussion has not yet been put on a council agenda. “”I expect they will do so rather quickly,”” said Planning Board Chairman Marvin Gardner.
The expected expedience may be due to an application for a Rite-Aid on the corner of Cranbury and Princeton-Hightstown Roads, which has appeared before the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The application has not been presented in its entirety, but was met with criticism from several members of the Zoning Board during its first hearing, including Chairman John Roeder and Vice Chair Susan Abbey. While the Rite Aid would need a variance to build according to its current site plan, township officials expect more applications for the area in the near future.
The approved ordinance updates the current zoning for the area, which has not been changed in 20 years. If passed into law by council, the Princeton Junction zoning overlay will require developers to build according to regulations intended to make the area a “”traditional village center,”” according to the ordinance.
West Windsor recently hired the Hillier Group for $330,”000 to conduct public meetings, or charrettes, and create a plan for the 350-acre area in need of redevelopment based on public opinion. The area in question not only falls into the redevelopment zone, but is considered to be its gateway.
Creating interim zoning regulations is unlawful in New Jersey. The Overlay is not intended to be interim, said Gardner, but it could be changed, and will be superseded by any plan created by Hillier for the redevelopment zone. The Hillier plan is expected to be considerably more far-reaching than the zoning overlay. In its original form, the ordinance was not limited to architectural and design standards.
On multiple occasions, planning board members as well as planning board attorney Gerald Muller compared the draft ordinance provisions with buildings on Nassau Street in Princeton. Gardner confirmed that he expects the current Acme shopping center to be razed and replaced with buildings that conform with the overlay.
According to the draft ordinance, those buildings would be “”15 feet from the right-of-way,”” building adjacent to neighboring structures is encouraged, as is shared use of driveways. Off-street parking must be located at the rear of the building, and the “”architectural detail, style, color, proportion, and massing shall reflect the features of a traditional village center.””
The language stipulates that “”Ground floor retail, services, and restaurant uses shall have large pane display windows. Pitched roofs are recommended.””
In addition to design guidelines, the ordinance states that the developer must use environmentally-conscious green technology “”to the maximum extent practicable.””
The ordinance also prohibits any more banks and auto service stations from being built in the zone. It says that developers shall “”provide for focal points such as small parks or squares and other open spaces, as appropriate, such that a sense of place is enhanced and strengthened.””
Councilman Will Anklowitz, in attendance at the meeting, said “”This was an example of good government. I was pleased to see the Planning Board take an interest in what residents were talking about, and being responsive to what residents wanted to see happen.””
