Improvements along Princeton-Hightstown Road have been mentioned as goals by several candidates running for West Windsor Council. But now one eyesore, as it was described by Council member Diane Ciccone, will be no more.
At the October 24 council meeting Business Administrator Robert Hary noted that the owners of the Valero station at the corner of Route 571 and Alexander Road would demolish the existing service station and garage and breathe new life into the property by adding a new 7-Eleven store at the location. Hary told the Council that the Valero property owners were acting on a zoning board approval received in 2006.
“They are going to renovate the station and bring it up to current technology. They are also going to build a 1,500 square-foot convenience store,” Hary said. He added that the next step in the process would be building and construction permits.
Ciccone immediately asked if Council could fast track the application. Hary said fast-tracking the project would be in the township’s best interest since the property, right across Alexander Road from developer Irv Cyzner’s Windsor Plaza, “needs definite work.” Hary said he had spoken to Cyzner earlier in the day and they talked about the difficulties in attracting retail tenants because of the economy. All council members agreed that a refurbished Valero station with a convenience store would help make the area more attractive for businesses.
Ciccone asked Hary whether Valero’s property fell within the designated redevelopment area. The answer was no, but it is just outside that zone.
Council member George Borek brought up police department concerns over having a 24-hour convenience store attracting late night crowds, saying that a restriction on 7-Eleven’s hours of operation had come up at council meetings in the past.
Mayor Hsueh and Director of Community Development Pat Ward said the township could not limit the store’s potential hours of operation. “Twelve years ago, before I took office, the Mercer County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of allowing a 7-Eleven to be open 24/7. This could have been done years ago. The judge also approved the building structure for a 7-Eleven at that time,” Hsueh said.
Hsueh said he has spoken with the Valero station owner several times in the past, but despite the concerns an all-night store can usher in, Hsueh said that each member of council views the development positively and they are fully against any objection by the township in the form of an appeal.
“It’s the same thing as with InterCap Holdings. If a municipality doesn’t come to a compromise, the decision will be made by another branch of government — which is our judicial system,” Hsueh said.
