The West Windsor Township Land Use Division has received two site plan applications. Artis Senior Living has filed an application to build a two-story memory care facility on the 3.37-acre site at 861 Alexander Road. The architect is Dennis Smith.
The property is the former home of the Princeton Polychrome Press and is under contract to be purchased from Greg Olsen. The Artis application will go before the Site Plan Review Advisory Broad (SPRAB) on Monday, November 24.
The second application currently being vetted is the development plan for the 40-plus acre Maneely tract on Old Bear Brook Road. The architect is Barton Partners, based in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
The application is tentatively scheduled to go before SPRAB on Monday, December 8. At the May 7 planning board meeting, Toll Brothers, the site’s developers, presented a site plan that would include more than 150 corporate suites, 51 townhouses, and roughly 20,000 square feet of retail space with 40 apartments above. The current application also includes plans for a corporate suites hotel.
Ellsworth Update. The proposed redevelopment of the Ellsworth Center at the corner of Cranbury and Princeton-Hightstown roads is slowly progressing. Owner Shawn Ellsworth has received building permits for internal and external renovations to the E-1 building, the main retail strip that houses the Shanghai Bun restaurant.
Renovations to the building are expected to begin in mid-October, which will be an overall renovation and modernization according to Ellsworth. A faux second story will be part of the renovated building.
Ellsworth plans for similar renovations to the E-2 retail building, which houses Subway. Building permits for E-2 and N-4 have been submitted, with renovations for E-2 expected around early next year.
“We’re excited to start this whole redevelopment project,” Ellsworth said. “We really feel this is a community project, and we hope it spurs property owners down the street to continue the process.”
In addition to overhauling the retail spaces, the center is undergoing more extensive redevelopment for a proposed mixed-use center that will feature second story residential apartments. Seven new buildings are planned; they are known as N-1 through N-7.
The retail square footage will be increased from 22,000 to 52,000 square feet, along with 20 apartments. There will be four affordable housing units. Ellsworth has hired a commercial real estate firm to market for occupancy. He estimates construction will last 18 months.
Last December the township zoning board approved development plan variances for the retail center. Those variances came with conditions with which the developer must comply. Additionally, said township Land Use Manager Sam Surtees, township planning and zoning personnel reviewed Ellsworth’s plans in July, and have not yet received revisions based on the township’s July reports. Approvals from state and county agencies are also needed.
SPRAB Action. In other news, the Site Plan Review Advisory Board (SPRAB) recommended approval for a site plan submitted by Princeton International Trading & Consulting at its September 22 meeting. A biopharma services company, Princeton International is seeking to renovate a two-story house and a 1.5-story barn at 3639 Route 1 near Overlook Center into approximately 5,236 square feet of office space.
The applicant must revise its plans pursuant to SPRAB and staff professional comments regarding verification of wetlands approachment and buffers. The reapplication is expected to go before the Planning Board in late October or early November.
