Prompted by concerns over the recent removal of several large trees, West Windsor Township is negotiating with Cyzner Properties to purchase the “Acme woods” behind the old Acme supermarket off of Alexander Road. Cyzner’s property, including the commercial space, is 13 acres; the Township is seeking to buy 5.5 acres through its open space program.
“Prior to purchasing the land, we will arrange to have an environmental engineer to inspect the site to make sure there is no contamination,” said Township land use manager Sam Surtees. “And of course we will do a title search as well.”
“We intend to keep it as woods, and build a dirt hiking trail to link up with Wallace Road,” Surtees said. Council will need to approve the purchase. If the Township uses open space tax revenue that has already been collected, three council members will need to approve the purchase. If the Township uses a bond ordinance, four council votes will be needed.
“The property suffered some damage from Hurricane Sandy. Cyzner removed the trees that were deemed unsafe, but many of the larger trees that have fallen are still there. If the Township purchases the property, we will leave the fallen trees as long as it is safe,” Surtees said.
“Cyzner did clean out some of the ‘understory’ — bushes, shrubs, and low-level plants-to allow the stormwater drainage system to operate properly,” said Surtees.
Said Mayor Sing-Fu Hsueh: “We feel this property is for the township to preserve and to separate the residents from the commercial area.”
#b#Bolfmar Subdivision#/b#
Vishwas Tengshe’s application to subdivide his property at 16 Bolfmar Avenue into two lots was granted at the May 8 Planning Board meeting. Tengshe wants to build a second home on the second lot.
According to Planning Board Chairman Marvin Gardner, the owner is entitled to build up to a 3,400-square-foot residence. Tengshe indicated that he intends to build a 3,000-square-foot home. The other homes on Bolfmar, a self-contained cul-de-sac across from Grover’s Mill Pond, are generally 1,800 to 2,000 square feet.
Neighbors had previously expressed opposition to Tengshe’s plans. Issues raised included the impact of the new construction on surface drainage run-off, drying up of wells, placement of utility poles, location of the new home’s driveway, and the loss of trees.
Said Gardner: “We addressed all of these issues. The driveway will be located away from the adjacent homeowner’s property; the utility pole will be relocated subject to the utility company’s approval; and trees will be planted to create a barrier between the properties. Additional trees will be planted to replace the trees removed for construction.
“Tengshe has agreed to put in a 25-year dry well to ameliorate any water issues. He brought in a geo-hydrologist, Penelope Altoff, who testified that based on her evaluation of the area, there would be no negative impact on wells, or run-off issues as a result of another residence being constructed. Township engineer Francis Guzik agreed with her assessment. Based on this testimony, and the fact that most of the residents seemed satisfied with the results, we granted the variance application.”
Gardner noted that, under existing zoning laws, any resident on Bolfmar is entitled to enlarge their homes by the same amount.
Sign Waivers. The Planning Board also approved the Carnegie Center’s Hyatt Regency’s sign waiver request, allowing the hotel to replace its existing sign with a new one of the same size.
The Planning Board allowed Party City to utilize a sign that was 3 feet high and 25 feet wide. The Planning Board granted a variance to allow the height of the letters to be larger than allowed by code.
The next Planning Board meeting will be Wednesday, June 12.
#b#Road Work#/b#
Reconstruction and repaving work on Roszel Road is scheduled to begin Monday, May 13, according to the Township. The work, by by Gres Paving of East State Street, Trenton, will be performed on the section of road owned by the township between Alexander Road and the Princeton Post Office.
Weather permitting, the project is expected to take 30 days. The road will remain open, but the area will be a construction zone.
Emmons Drive Resurfacing The Township has been awarded a grant of $206,000 to resurface Emmons Drive. The funding is part of the Local Aid grants program for street, safety, and quality-of-life improvements.
Zoning Board News. At its May 2 meeting the Zoning Board approved an application filed by the Sunoco gas station on Route 1 at Harrison Street.
According to West Windsor Township land use manager Sam Surtees, “Sunoco will be demolishing and rebuilding the existing station. The gasoline pumps will be moved further from Route 1, and the number of fuel dispensers will increase from 4 to 8. Sunoco will also construct a 2,350 square foot convenience store in lieu of the current building. In addition, Sunoco will construct an underground storage facility which will hold gasoline and car diesel, which will reduce the number of truck deliveries needed.”
“I estimate that they will be seeking permits this summer, and that construction of the new facility will begin in the fall of 2013,” he said.
The final review of an application for a new PNC bank to be built on Quakerbridge Road near Mercer Mall will be considered at the Zoning Board’s meeting on Thursday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m.
