Who spends money to improve someone else’s land? Not West Windsor township.
The township gained ownership of more than 20 acres of recreational fields after Council approved a land swap with the Mercer County Parks Commission at the May 2 Council meeting.
The township will receive 26 acres of land on Conover Road, which the township previously leased from the county for $1 a year. The township intends to improve the fields and recreational facilities, such as installing bathrooms.
In return, the County Parks Commission will receive four acres of township property off Windsor-Edinburg Road, which includes the upper portion of Assunpink Creek. The County is exploring the creation of a recreational site for canoeing and kayaking. According to Mayor Shing-fu Hsueh, the land exchange was conceived because state laws forbid purchases.
Animal control officer litigation. To provide consultant services for ongoing litigation, Council approved two $5,000 agreements. Princeton University professor Marc Ratkovic and animal control officer Michael Melchionne will provide reports on the township’s new animal control program.
More redevelopment. The transit village redevelopment area may expand to include the future Project Freedom site and Mark’s Trackside Auto Center. Land use manager Sam Surtees and new township planner Steven Burgess discussed the topic of redevelopment with Council, and Surtees asked Council to consider initiating the redevelopment status process, which first involves a Planning Board needs analysis.
According to Surtees, redevelopment status would better position Project Freedom to apply for federal funding. A 10-acre site on Old Bear Brook Road, subdivided by Toll Brothers and deeded to the township, is zoned for a 70-plus unit Project Freedom development. Surtees also included the three-acre Mark’s Trackside site and a half-acre of Amtrak property for potential redevelopment status. He said the inclusion of the two properties avoids isolating the adjacent Project Freedom site in a future redevelopment area.
Council members Geevers and Marathe expressed concern on potential impacts to the owners of the auto center, whom the mayor has already contacted.
Environmental Commission chair Michael Hornsby updated Council on the commission’s climate action plan. The plan contains strategies for lowering the township’s greenhouse gas emissions and it is expected to be ready for township adoption this fall. Priority action items include exploring energy efficiency measures in municipal operations, studying climate adaptation in preparation of increased flooding, drought, and heat wave risks, and creating a green business recognition program to recognize sustainable local businesses.
To start the meeting, Council honored township clerk Sharon Young, who received the state Municipal Clerks Association’s Clerk of the Year award.
At the Board of Health meeting prior to the Council meeting, township health officer Jill Swanson discussed the Zika virus and again urged residents to take precautions against mosquitoes. Those traveling to areas with Zika virus should check the CDC website and use mosquito control guidelines both abroad and once back home. Residents should also clean up any still water on their property to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites.
Geevers and Marathe raised the issue of excessive noise from the performance venue at the Mercer County Park. The County Parks Commission completed a report on the noise issue last August, and Council members asked why West Windsor was not notified earlier. Swanson said the township health department measured sound levels last summer, which she said are within state guidelines.
Mayor Hsueh will present his “State of the Township” address at the Monday, May 16, Council meeting.
SPRAB update. At its May 9 meeting the Site Plan Review Advisory Board reviewed the application for the subdivision of a 8.33-acre tract at 111 Penn Lyle Road. The parcel is owned by Jackson-based Shalimar Holdings LLC, and the owner is seeking to subdivide the parcel into two residential building lots and an open space lot. The property is currently vacant.
