Since the Howard Hughes Corporation first decided on developing the former American Cyanamid property, it has sought to foster a dialogue with West Windsor and its residents about the proposed development. To this end, a cross-section of the West Windsor community has been assembled as a focus group, to serve as a liaison between Howard Hughes and township residents. At its second public meeting on February 27, Howard Hughes introduced the members of the focus group to the community.
The group, gathered at a U-shaped cluster of tables in the main meeting room of the West Windsor Municipal Center, included lots of familiar faces, including officials from the township and the county, the school board, and the private sector (see list below).
Says Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, “I wanted the group to focus on four main issues: impact on the schools; attractiveness to business community; recreational opportunities for young and old; and public services. I picked a cross-section of the community. I didn’t ask them their points of view, or ask them what they wanted to see done with the property. I just wanted to include a wide variety of people so that Howard Hughes could understand our community better.
“While Howard Hughes will decide when and where the meetings will be held, I made it clear to them that the meetings are to be open to the public so that anyone can go and find out what is happening.”
Upcoming meetings are tentatively scheduled for the third Thursday of every month, from 6 to 8 p.m., and are expected to be held at Mercer Oaks. The next meeting will be held on April 18. Meetings are also tentatively scheduled for May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15, and September 19. All meetings are open to the public and will involve discussions between members of the focus groups and the public.
#b#Raised in Town, Vinson Looks Ahead#/b#
One of the less recognizable names in the focus group belongs to a person who actually has more connections to West Windsor than most — Libby Vinson, a long-time West Windsor resident and the parent of three young boys. “When the Mayor recommended me for the focus group, I said yes. I really care about this town. I grew up here and I love it here. It is great here, but it could be even better.”
Vinson’s family, the Swankes, moved to West Windsor from Larchmont, NY, in the 1970s. “My dad worked in insurance. He worked half of the time in New York and half of the time in Philadelphia. West Windsor was the halfway point, so it made sense. He could take the train both ways. And my mother was very active in the town, especially in the schools, through the PTAs and as a class mom, and as a part-time substitute teacher. She is also active at the Princeton Nassau Church. They now have eight grandchildren living here, so they won’t ever leave!”
“I lived here until I went to college at Lehigh University. Then I worked in D.C. for a while. I moved back here when I earned my master’s degree in politics and public affairs from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers. I got a job as a lobbyist with the NJ Business and Industry Association, and decided to move back to West Windsor. While I loved the town, as a young single professional, there was nothing for me to do here. I went other places, such as New York, for entertainment.”
However, Vinson met her future husband, Dennis, who was a social studies teacher at High School South, and after they married, they remained in West Windsor. Their children are James, a fourth grader at Millstone; Grant, a second grader at Maurice Hawk; and Cole, in kindergarten at Maurice Hawk.
“My sister lives here, in Canal Pointe, and she has two small children,” says Vinson. “My parents live here, and my brother lives in Princeton. We are planning on staying here, but taxes are very high. New development would help. The school board and the Township are doing what they can to keep taxes down, but expenses still increase. That’s why I am glad to be part of this focus group.”
The Vinsons already are active in town. “My husband has coached for the West Windsor Wildcats for seven years, and we are both involved in Little League. I am involved in the PTA and have been class mom for my kids. I have also been active in local politics for many years. I served on the board of Mercer County Community College, and was a member of the Women’s Political Caucus, among other things. When we had children, I decided to curtail my working hours so that I could spend more time with my kids. I served on the Dutch Neck Preschool Co-Op for seven years, and worked as a consultant. For the past six years, I have worked at the Association Business Solutions, which is an association management company that specializes in community and public affairs. As the kids are getting older, I want to get more involved with the community again.
“The mayor recommended me for the focus group because of my professional background, but also because I grew up here and am a long-term resident, and am a parent of school-aged children. I think the focus group is a good cross-section of our community and of surrounding communities, because the Howard Hughes development will affect other communities as well.”
“And I am very glad to be part of this project. As a resident that’s been here forever, we need to be open about the development that’s coming, and work with the developers. I think this is very positive — economic development is a good thing. This has been a very positive start. Howard Hughes is committed to working with the residents. So far they are employing text-book good mixed-use development. This is a company that has done some great things, and their standards for development are very high. The key component is not just development, but smart development.”
Adds Vinson: “Over the years, there have been so many missed opportunities. We have operated under ‘paralysis by analysis.’ When I moved here, we had very little of what we have now. Now we are delighted by what is here — the school system, recreational facilities, the parks and open space. Many of this wasn’t here when I was growing up.”
“The one piece we are missing is a downtown place to gather, which would give West Windsor a real small-town community feel. We don’t need to build another Princeton, and we won’t. But we need to link up the existing developments with bike paths and walk ways. We are getting there. Five years ago I could not run from my house to other open spaces; I had to risk my neck crossing Alexander Road. This is becoming a more walkable community and that is a good thing.”
When asked about those who question the benefits of the proposed Howard Hughes development, Vinson responded emphatically, “to say ‘no’ to more development will lead to bad development. Development is not a bad word. There shouldn’t be an adversarial relationship with developers. It is counter-productive. Development will continue to happen; we should be part of the process.”
“This is beyond politics, it is about quality. What we have now is not working. The site is abandoned property. It is the gateway to West Windsor. To be opposed to properly developing this site is bad public policy. To not utilize the property is hurting the taxpayers and is not smart economically. Look at the property now. Is that the best we can do? We can’t do any better than that? It is a draw on the tax rolls. This abandoned property is one of the major entrances to our town.
“People ask me, ‘why does development take so long in this town.’ I mean, we can’t even build a pocket park. That just shows there is something culturally wrong with some levels of our government. We need to stop our small-mindedness and think of our Township as a whole.”
“We should turn [American Cyanamid] into something we can be proud of — something for kids and seniors alike. West Windsor’s location is ideal. We have access to NY and Philadelphia, we support the concept of open space, we have lots of recreation and sports amenities, there is a strong sense of commitment to the community. But we have a lack of housing for young adults without children, and affordable housing that would allow older adults to stay. Our town can only be enhanced by more downtown gathering places, not big box stores. We need to create more gathering places, more walkable places.”
“I truly believe the people who are opposed to this concept are a small minority. Families that are moving here want this — they don’t want to have to jump into their cars every two seconds to get somewhere. People that I speak to at Little League or Wildcats games, or at PTA meetings, are in favor of this concept. But they are just too busy to be vocal on these issues. It’s about quality of life-being able to walk or bike places, or sit outside and eat with your friends. I think it is unfair that people are worried about mixed-use development bringing more people in. So it’s OK that they moved in, but now no one else can?”
“For the people that say ‘it used to be better here,’ I say it is much better today. There are so many more amenities, so much more focus on our history, so many positives. But it can be even better in the future. We should work together to have West Windsor reach its full potential,” she added.
The other focus group members include Howard Hughes executives Chuck McMahon and John DeWolf; Bob Prunetti, president of the MidJersey Chamber of Commerce; Peter Crowley, president of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Also Ron Slinn, vice president of the Shade Tree Commission; Hemant Marathe, president of the WW-P Board of Education; Alison Miller, president of Friends of West Windsor Open Space (FOWWOS); Jean Jacobsohn, chair of the Affordable Housing Committee; and Nick Schiera, a resident representing township sports activities.
Also Liz Muoi, Mercer County Office of Economic Development and Sustainability; Steve Jany, member of the Agricultural Advisory Committee; John Roeder, chairman of the Zoning Board; Andy Lupo, chairman of West Windsor Parking Authority; and Beth Feehan, co-founder of the WW Farmer’s Market
Council President George Borek participated at the meeting but has since recused himself, stating that “I didn’t want even the perception of a conflict of interest. I was there to provide general support, but will not be involved in the discussions.”
Marvin Gardner, head of the Planning Board, also declined to be part of the group for similar reasons.
