Marathe, Geevers & Manzari have a solid plan for improving the tax base in West Windsor. Our team has both the business development and land use experience to make this happen.
Currently, residents pay 70 percent of the tax bill, which is unacceptable. Increasing commercial ratables will alleviate some of that burden on residents. Unfortunately the reputation that West Windsor has in the business community is quite negative. Many businesses will not open here because of it. Addressing that is our first step.
Our plan will improve the community in several ways: New businesses will make additional goods and services available to residents, they’ll contribute to the tax base, and some blighted areas will be cleaned up.
On zoning board, I have voted to approve a number of businesses that are doing/have done just that. The CrossFit gym and the Artis memory care facility, both on Alexander Road, are just two examples. The owner of the abandoned homes across the street from McCaffrey’s has been blocked for years from demolishing those homes and re-building as mom-and-pop type retail. We’d like to see that remedied as soon as possible.
Here are some specific things that we can do:
1. Have an experienced business development director look outside of West Windsor to target various companies that would be a good fit for West Windsor and encourage them to come here. Sell them on why West Windsor is a good fit.
West Windsor has a lot to offer: well-educated workforce; beautiful town with much green space; access to major highways; proximity to NYC and Philadelphia; excellent schools; and many nearby colleges and universities to recruit from.
If East Windsor can bring in Aurobindo, Amazon can build a warehouse in Robbinsville, and Costco can open in Lawrenceville, surely West Windsor can attract tax-paying commercial entities as well.
2. Change the way the township interacts with business owners. We are told repeatedly—and I have seen for myself on zoning board and site plan review advisory board, which pre-screens both zoning and planning board applications—that opening a business in West Windsor can be extremely painful—frustrating, expensive and time-consuming.
Some of that is due to state issues, but there is a lot we can change. The entire process should be streamlined. Every single interaction that a businessperson has with the township should be improved upon. From changing the overall process, improving permitting and approvals, and better utilizing technology, there are many things we could do to greatly improve upon the status quo.
3. Create a support system for businesses already established in West Windsor. Again, the skills of a business development professional and the use of technology will be invaluable here.
Our team is particularly well-suited to accomplish these goals. All three of us have valuable land use knowledge through our experiences on SPRAB, zoning, and planning Boards. Dr. Marathe is an entrepreneur who has successfully run several small businesses and Ms. Geevers has tremendous experience and knowledge of how the township has functioned over the years. I have gained years of experience in business development while working for Procter & Gamble, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, as well as for two start-ups, one in telecommunications and the other a design firm.
— Virginia Manzari
Manzari is a candidate for West Windsor Council.
