Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh made a surprise announcement about new train station parking minutes before the InterCap settlement vote at the September 19 Council meeting. In front of more than 90 residents he presented a concept plan for a new lot off Alexander Road at the old composting site on the west side of the railroad tracks.
The project’s cost has not been estimated yet, and neither has the projected cost of weekly or daily parking. But Hsueh said that only West Windsor residents will be able to use the new lot and that a decal system will be implemented to enforce it.
Planning Board review is scheduled for early November. The township is putting together a remedial action work plan, including a conceptual design, for approval from the state DEP. Once that is approved, construction can start.
The mayor says barring changes or a setback in planning, the groundbreaking ceremony should happen in spring with the project fully completed by September, 2012. Mayor Hsueh said the town is currently in negotiations on the costs and terms of the lease.
Business Administrator Robert Hary said the township’s goal was securing over 500 spaces and they “were thrilled to get over 600.” The current target of 650 spaces is not a certainty given the planning board’s review and the process ahead. Hary said it is possible the number will be lower to accommodate landscaping, drainage, and other land use considerations. The parking lot’s design will allow commuters to walk directly up to the raised boarding platform.
Three state agencies are integral to the plan: the DEP, NJ Transit, and the DOT. A DEP grant paid for the site investigation and contamination analysis, and since the parking lot falls within the boundaries of West Windsor’s redevelopment district it should therefore get 100 percent funding from the DEP. The mayor called it “an automatic priority” while the transit village designation should also add an incentive from the state governmental perspective.
“Because of the state budget situation we are not 100 percent sure when we are going to get it, but we cannot wait. We need to start working now and hopefully we get reimbursement,” Hsueh said.
The site plan review may be integrated with the planning board, and the town council previously passed a resolution allowing the administration to enter the agreement with the West Windsor Parking Authority.
At a subsequent press conference the mayor highlighted the fact that for the first time West Windsor would receive additional proceeds from the parking authority. He said that West Windsor taxpayers have never before benefited from revenues on properties managed by the parking authority, but this agreement is sure to make the deal property tax-positive for residents.
“It will be official in the contract that there will be bonuses coming to township taxpayers. Once people start using the parking they will pay parking fees. The money from this will be shared by the township as revenues into the municipal budget,” Hsueh said.
Hary said the project will be considered a joint venture by the township and the parking authority, which will officially lease the property. The parking lot’s construction will be undertaken by the parking authority, which will incur long-term debt for it and then pay it back with revenues.
“They’re in the parking business and we’re not, so the idea is that we’re going to lease them that property. Once we get to the pro forma financial we’ll get an idea of how much it will cost to build this and the kind of revenues it could generate,” Hary said.
One issue the administration looked at was traffic flow out of the lot, especially for cars making a left-hand turn during rush hour. Hary says it will be built to be right-hand in and right-hand out and there will be another exit to go onto Vaughn Drive, right where the farmers’ market is, so drivers can go to the light and make a right.
Hary said that during the concept phase the parking authority would pay for all the third-party reviews the project requires, including the planner, the traffic engineer, and the attorney. In-house staff such as landscape architects will be paid for by the township.
Councilman Charles Morgan expressed concern over New Jersey Transit’s control of municipal lots near train stations and its impact on the West Windsor Parking Authority.
“NJT owns a big parking lot there and they are privatizing management of their lots. It is not inconceivable that you could see a parking structure that would not fit the look and feel of what we want for our town center. NJT is not going to be interested in anything other than a regional solution for its parking,” Morgan said.
Morgan said that by building the lot the township would get more control of what could happen near the train station, but he said it must also be shown how the parking project will integrate with the road system in the redevelopment plan.
