At Charles Morgan’s first meeting since being re-assigned to the planning board, chairman Marvin Gardner blasted the councilman for his public comments, made at the council meeting the day before, berating the planning board. ##M:[more]## Morgan was asked to recuse himself from the July 10 planning board meeting, which was dominated by a discussion about whether to complete Ward Road, a controversial planning issue concerning Morgan’s neighborhood and property. Before Morgan stepped off the dais, he and Gardner had it out.
On July 9 Morgan and fellow council member and former planning board member Heidi Kleinman said they could not understand why the planning board had not met since the June 4 joint meeting between the council and planning board to see Hillier Architects’ presentation of the West Windsor redevelopment plan.
“I resent the fact that misinformation has been disseminated to the public,” Gardner said when Morgan arrived late to the meeting. “To have the [planning board members] disparaged is wrong. These are professionals who are paid considerably to do what they are doing for this township for free. This is a wonderful thing here.” “There has been a discussion that this planning board doesn’t do planning. We have passed 23 ordinances since 2002, 31 Master Plan revisions. That is far more than most towns,” said Gardner. “I’m taking this council on if they continue to do this. This is not going to be tolerated. It is not true that the planning board has not met since June 4.”
The planning board also met on June 6. Gardner explained that a June 18 meeting to continue the Hillier presentation had been set but was postponed by council. He said the planning board has not met since then because council has not re-scheduled the joint meeting. “I’m giving you the facts,” Gardner said, addressing some 60 members of the public in attendance. “The facts are going to come out. This town better wake up. Tell your neighbors what’s happening to this town.”
Morgan responded: “The chair should treat all of the township’s volunteers or elected officials with the respect we deserve and not impugn our motives. We all have the best interests of West Windsor at heart.”
“I came to the defense of the township volunteers who were being unjustly maligned and whose activities were mischaracterized despite the credibility of the public record,” said Gardner later. “I clearly was not impugning the motives of our elected officials.”
Later Morgan said he thought Gardner overstated his case. “Anybody who would like to observe the number of meetings that the planning board canceled should look at the meetings calendar on the township website.”
After Gardner’s diatribe, the planning board got to work on Ward Road. Morgan, who lives on Birchwood Court, would be directly affected if the township were to complete Ward Road as stipulated by the Master Plan. Morgan and other residents in the neighborhood have been vocal in their opposition to the plan, and many were in attendance at the meeting. Morgan asked to be allowed to participate in the discussion as a member of the planning board without voting. Gardner said he could participate as a member of the public, but that he should recuse himself from the discussion, and leave the dais. As Morgan left, Gardner continued to fire. “As I was driving around the neighborhood, I saw that you are the one who stands to gain the most from having the road not be built. You’re living in a mansion over there. I thought you were a man of the people.” One observer who asked not to be identified characterized Gardner’s conduct as unprofessional.
“That was unfortunate. He should have known better,” said Morgan. “I was concerned that when he went after me personally, he was prejudicing the conversation. I don’t know if his very scrupulous review of the report mitigated any potential prejudice.”
The report in question was prepared by township professionals analyzing whether it would benefit the township to complete Ward Road as a minor collector road connecting North Post and Penn Lyle roads. The planning board did not take action to amend the master plan, but each member said they did not believe completion of the road would be a wise course for the township.
Gardner said the report contained two arguments in favor of completing the road according to the master plan. He said the major beneficiaries of the road would be the people who live closest to the road. Since so many of them were protesting its completion, he said that reason was negated. Another argument in favor of the road is easier access to homes in the area by emergency vehicles. The report stated that the police department and rescue squad agreed that completion of the road would have little effect on the time it would take them to get to the homes in the area.
Dan Dobrimilsky, the township’s landscape architect, presented an alternative, wherein the connection could be made by local roads running through Cherry Grove, a planned 12-home development. Any roads constructed adjacent to Cherry Grove would be the responsibility of the developer.
The planning board asked for more information on the alternate plan before voting on whether to approve it. No date has been set for the next meeting on the topic.
Gardner suggested that if the developer were to be freed of his responsibility to construct the road, the township could negotiate for him to provide amenities for the area and the township instead. Construction of a bicycle/pedestrian path connecting the neighborhoods was one option.
Two items were bumped from the agenda. The discussion on Hilton Gardens, a potential hotel and office park off of Route 1 near the Lowes shopping center was postponed until Wednesday, August 15. A presentation by planning consultant John Madden on signage ordinances was also moved to August 15.
