Whatever happened to the redevelopment of the Princeton Junction train station and the West Windsor downtown? Eight years ago hundreds of residents turned out for planning charrettes led by architect Bob Hillier. The vision was to transform the acres of parking lots at the train station and the well worn office and retail space adjoining the station into a thriving mixed use development of office, retail, and housing, all within a few minutes walk of the busy commuter hub.
But the initial enthusiasm dimmed, critics of the plan raised concerns — particularly about the number of housing units that were needed to make the concept profitable for a developer — and a major economic recession came along. Redevelopment in West Windsor dropped out of view.
But recently bits and pieces of “redevelopment” have come to life. The Cyzner family has revitalized the Windsor Plaza Shopping Center — to the point where some people are no longer reflexively calling it “the Acme Center.” The latest tenant to open: InFocus Urgent Care, a seven-day a week medical facility that will host a grand opening ceremony on Sunday, December 15, from 2 to 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, the owner of the Ellsworth’s Center at the corner of Cranbury and Princeton-Hightstown roads, kitty corner from the original redevelopment area and just on the edge of the quarter-mile radius from the existing train station, has quietly moved through the Zoning Board process with an application to expand the retail portion of the center and to add apartments above the retail. The existing 22,000-square-foot commercial space will be expanded to approximately 34,000 square feet. Two one-bedroom apartments now on the site will be replaced by 20 one-bedroom apartments above the retail.
A background information kit, prepared for the Zoning Board application, clearly shows that the Ellsworth project is building on the ideas of the recent past:
“One of the main objectives of this redevelopment project is to create a mixed-use development that is consistent with the Princeton Junction Redevelopment Plan goals. Instead of simply giving the buildings a facelift, it is our desire to transform this strip shopping center into a pedestrian-friendly, bicycle-friendly destination. Through the creation of outdoor public gathering spaces and a consistent architectural style, a mixed-use ‘village center’ will be created.
“Pedestrian-oriented street life will be created and public events such as a farmer’s market, music performances and photography exhibits will be encouraged. Located in close proximity to the Princeton Junction Train Station, the proposed one bedroom apartments at Ellsworth’s Center will attract commuters who will be able to walk to the train station.
“Ellsworth’s Center, through this redevelopment, will provide a sense of place and destination for vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. By using elements of architectural style and massing, while keeping to a residential scale, the project will provide the West Windsor community with a true village center.”
The Zoning Board must grant several variances to permit the expansion and the conversion of two residential lots into parking and stormwater management facilities. It was expected to vote on the matter this Thursday, December 5, as this edition of the WW-P News was going to press.
The zoning hearings have taken longer than they might have in part because of the participation of the owner of the adjoining property that houses what might have been the second phase of the original Ellsworth Center but which sits boarded up and unfinished. While no one could predict how the board would vote on December 5 the fact is that most of the contentious moments at the hearings have centered around the neighbor. The Ellsworth application has already been approved by Site Plan Review Advisory Board, and the township professionals in charge of traffic, environmental, and landscape design have had no strong objections to the plan.
The Ellsworth Center seems on track to pursue its full-scale redevelopment — a miniature version of what was talked about in town back in 2005.
What makes Ellsworth’s Center different from the expanded Windsor Plaza shopping center is the housing. As the briefing report for the Zoning Board notes, the center’s proposed apartments will “target the young single or newly married professionals,” with a “combination of one-bedroom flats and one bedroom with loft units. The sizes will range from approximately 800 square feet to 1,200 square feet, which is aligned to competing apartment complexes in surrounding communities.
“Rents will have a median range of approximately $1,800 per month depending on the unit size and location. The greater Princeton multi-tenant housing market is robust with recent additions such as Princeton Terrace and a very comparable property at the Hamilton Train Station with the Crossings. Aligned to this submarket, Ellsworth’s Center will have one bedroom units with separate living/dining area, full kitchen and bath. Finishes will be market driven with, for example; granite countertop, stainless steel appliances and wood flooring.”
The briefing for the Zoning Board suggests that the residential component will benefit from the existing demand for housing and the current low inventory of one-bedroom apartments. While the retail component faces more competition, “the expansion of Ellsworth’s Center has a market advantage over competing small strip center due to current full occupancy, location and existing tenant mix. The long term positioning of the center is to become the destination of choice for a variety of specialty/convenience goods and services.”
The roots of Ellsworth’s Center go back to 1949, when John Ellsworth — who moved to the area in the 1920s with his parents and six siblings — petitioned the town of Princeton Junction to issue its first liquor license. The Princeton Junction Package Store was built in 1950 and expanded in 1957 to 1,800 square feet at the same location. After two more expansions, the store grew to 12,000 square feet.
John Ellsworth sold to business to his son, Shawn Ellsworth, in 1982 and shortly thereafter retired. A 1992 expansion included the renovation of the 15 Cranbury Road building and the addition of 3,600 square feet of retail (now the home of Fotolux, the Princeton Junction Barbers, and Subway). In 2002 Shawn Ellsworth sold the liquor store to McCaffrey’s. That space at Ellsworth’s Center now is occupied by Long & Foster Real Estate, Penn Supply/Baths Etc., and several restaurants.
Since leaving the liquor store business Shawn Ellsworth, a 1979 graduate of Washington & Lee, has been active in several community organizations, including Princeton Day School, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Corner House, and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. He has worked as director of major gifts at D&R Greenway Land Trust and as director of principle gifts and planned giving at the University Medical Center at Princeton. According to the briefing statement, he now works “privately on financial planning matters with individual families.”
Because the center envisions that its apartments will appeal specifically to commuters who use the nearby train station, “walkability” is a concept addressed in the Zoning Board briefing: “With its proximity to the train station, Ellsworth’s Center already attracts many pedestrians who walk from the adjacent neighborhoods to the train station. The next logical step for Ellsworth’s Center is to make it more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly and, to provide outdoor gathering areas.
“Pedestrian and bicycle access to the center will be improved with the addition of a second crosswalk across Cranbury Road at the intersection of Carlton Place,” which will connect to the existing sidewalk along Carlton Place and improve pedestrian and bicycle access from the Sherbrooke residential neighborhood.
In addition, the plan also calls for a path that will lead pedestrians in the opposite direction, away from the bustle of the train station and into 48 acres of open space that lie along Cranbury Road immediately adjacent to the proposed new parking lot for the center.
The one area of “blight” that the plan does not address is the abandoned retail strip closer to the train tracks. Shawn Ellsworth had sold that property to Burke Williams in 1987, but it was foreclosed on in 1992. The current owner bought it at that time, but did not finish the construction and has since disputed various rulings from West Windsor Township. Says the Ellsworth briefing book: “This unfinished, abandoned shopping center is currently an eyesore and a safety concern. It is our hope that the success of the Ellsworth’s development project will encourage the owners of that property to either sell the property or redevelop it themselves.”
