With West Windsor Council’s consensus last month on several aspects of what it wants to see in the redevelopment plan, the steering committee has been meeting to work out the details of the memo drafted by consultants John Madden and Gary Davies.##M:[more]##
The council is now looking at trying to bring representatives from RMJM Hillier for its council meeting on Monday, May 19. The meeting follows an open mic session on Monday, May 5, during which the council expects to hear from Robbinsville Mayor David Fried, who will answer questions and detail his township’s experience in dealing with designating a redevelopment entity and other redevelopment issues. And following the Hillier meeting, Intercap CEO Steve Goldin is holding another one of his public presentations on Saturday, May 31, during which he is to present plans for how his company’s 25 acres of property on Washington Road could be redesigned as part of redevelopment.
The redevelopment process seemed to get rolling again in March, when two township consultants submitted reports to council summarizing various elements of Hillier’s concept plan as it relates to the council’s guiding principles. The council unanimously decided that it wanted a mixed-use Main Street, as opposed to retail only, with living units about the retail, that it didn’t want to move Schlumberger, the research company based across from the station on Wallace Road, that it wanted to discard the idea of the “bowl,” or expanded tunnel under the tracks, that it supported the current plan for Route 571 as laid out by the county, that Vaughn Drive should remain a connector road, that it should make use of the Acme Woods, and that the Washington Road bridge and connections of West Windsor Walks and Station Drive needs to be rethought. The council referred the matter to the steering committee to work out the remaining questions and concerns from that meeting in anticipation for a public council meeting with Hillier in May.
In the meantime, Councilwoman Heidi Kleinman reported during the council’s April 7 meeting that it will take about two or three weeks before Madden and Davies can meet with Hillier to work out council’s remaining questions and concerns before the public meeting. She said the discussion is expected to “center around the framework that could solve some of our problems,” and after consensus on that, the next issue the council could tackle would be the density and zoning issues relating to the project.
Goldin has also been continuing his public campaign and presentations regarding his own ideas for the 350-acre train station redevelopment area. Most recently, about 125 township residents attended a four-hour presentation held by the developer — who owns about 25 acres of property in the redevelopment area — at the Westin Hotel in the Princeton Forrestal Village on April 6. Goldin says he hopes some of his ideas can be incorporated into the redevelopment plan, which is why he has been meeting with the township.
During his presentation at the Westin, Goldin told residents that council’s decision to go with the county plans for Route 571, with a smaller width, “may not work from a traffic standpoint.” Rather, Goldin says the street should consist of a one-way road in each direction with a service road, on-street parking, and a bicycle lane for improved bicycle and pedestrian access with two medians, to give the area a sense of place and create a true Main Street feel.
He says it is possible to get property owners in the area to transform their properties — on their own — into nice establishments. Jim Constantine of Looney Ricks Kiss pointed to the former “gasoline alley” in the northern section of Nassau Street in Princeton, which has since transformed into “restaurant row.”
Goldin says he has talked to over 1,”000 residents, who have told him they want to have a place where they can meet, greet, and eat, and that they want to see unique establishments, which can include a chain or two, but no big box stores. They also want a safe and walkable Main Street for both eight-year-olds and 80-year-olds, where nearby residents from Sherbrook and Berrien City can walk, anchored at each end, Goldin says. Goldin has also suggested moving Wallace Road through a portion of Schlumberger’s parking lot.
Because of the Council on Affordable Housing requirements, the town will be required to have a residential component, Goldin says. He also says that the redevelopment he is proposing would happen “property-by-property,” but acknowledged that some property owners may never participate. In gasoline alley, two gas stations remain.
Resident Mike Baxter asked Goldin what would happen if Acme didn’t participate. That’s when Goldin revealed that he had been trying to purchase the shopping center from the couple who own it. He said the couple, who have three children, simply aren’t interested in selling. He says he’s offered way above market price for the property, but it’s hard to overcome the emotional aspect they have attached to their ownership of the property. Baxter asked whether there was anything township residents can do to express to the Acme owners that they are interested in seeing it developed, and Goldin responded that the family is very nice, but just not interested. Since the meeting, Goldin says he has raised his offer on the property — where tenant leases expire in 2009 — but the family is still not interested.
Intercap’s own plan calls for mixed-use development with seven parking decks — which would bring the number of parking spaces to about 9,”000 — 142 total affordable housing units, more than 700,”000 square feet of office space, and 58,”000 square feet of retail. In his plan, Goldin also proposed a small emergency medical services building with one fire truck and one ambulance to be located in the redevelopment area, and a second kiss-and-ride area on the other side of the dinky tracks. Goldin also said that he found no taxpayer would pay $100 a month for parking
During the interactive visionary study, Gianni Longo pointed out that most West Windsor residents tend to favor buildings styles with modern designs, but with traditional materials.
With regard to traffic, Goldin’s team unveiled a simulation showing what traffic could look like intersections around the redevelopment area in 2021, under total buildout. Tim Phelan, Goldin’s traffic consultant who presented the simulation, said that in 2021, due to “natural background growth,” the north-to-south roads in the area of the train station will have great capacity, while the east-to-west will have very low capacity.
One of the most interesting findings by Goldin’s team is that they are claiming at the new roundabout at the Alexander Road Bridge is “projected to be worse” (See related story, page 18). Currently, he said, there is free flow of traffic through Berrien City, but adding a yield sign for traffic and taking away the stop sign for traffic on the bridge, will hinder that flow. Looking at the as-of-right, he said, “you see traffic that overwhelms this circle during the evening rush hour.”
He said looking at the data also shows failed intersections elsewhere. One of the worst intersections will be the Clarksville Road/Route 571 intersection, he said, where three lanes on Route 571 from the east will be turning into two lanes on Clarksville Road, which eventually narrows down to one lane. The simulation also showed a lengthy delay in the Penns Neck Circle heading toward downtown Princeton.
Goldin’s financial expert, Joseph Branca, of Bank of America, also spoke about tax increment financing as a way to fund amenities in the redevelopment area without risking taxpayer money. Branca said it would provide the greatest benefit to the municipality and taxpayers, and does not put the municipality at risk.
Under tax increment financing, bonds could be issued to private and institutional investors that will finance redevelopment. If the bonds can’t be repaid, those investors can’t look to West Windsor taxpayers, but instead will have to fully bear the risk of loss.
The township’s own redevelopment finance committee has already explored the issue and has decided it is the best way for the township to proceed, especially as it looks at places for more parking and road and infrastructure improvements. Goldin also said that he found no taxpayer would spend $100 a month (more than double what residents pay now) for a parking space at the train station, which would be needed otherwise finance a $30 million parking structure. A resident asked whether the school district would also be covered under tax increment financing.
“The schools and municipality are covered for any expenses related to redevelopment,” Goldin said after the meeting.
Kleinman said during the April 7 council meeting that the steering committee has also decided that the redevelopment finance committee should recommend the tax increment financing process, and that Hillier has also agreed with members of council that a financial expert should be hired.
Goldin’s next presentation, in which he is expected to highlight his plans for Intercap’s 25 acres on the west side of the project, was originally scheduled for Sunday, May 18, but has been moved to Saturday, May 31 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Princeton Hyatt on Route 1 at Alexander Road.
