Steve Goldin is no longer the only property owner who is suing West Windsor with regard to its plans for redevelopment around the Princeton Junction train station.
Five other parties — including transportation giant Amtrak — that own property in the designated 350-acre redevelopment area have joined the lawsuit filed by InterCap Holdings, where Goldin is CEO.
Those property owners include two owners of property in the Ellsworth Center — Ellsworth Realty Associates, which owns 19 Cranbury Road, and Won Chang Realty, which owns 33 Cranbury Road; the Avante site at 70 Washington Road, which is owned by Far Sighted Investments; and the parking facility at 43 Station Drive, owned by Sidetrax Inc.
According to West Windsor’s planning attorney, Gerald Muller, these parties have the right to participate, although the township “would like the trial to go as quickly as possible.”
“We’ll address the issues they raise,” he said, adding that officials do not currently know the positions the additional property owners have taken.
What is the effect on the process? “The only thing they have a right to do is participate in the trial,” which consists of presenting witnesses and cross-examining other witnesses.
Goldin could not be reached for comment by press time. The lawsuit involves InterCap’s challenge of the designation of the township’s 350-acre Princeton Junction train station area as “in need of redevelopment.” A ruling in the developer’s favor could, in the worst case scenario, void the township’s redevelopment plan. The case will go to trial in the coming months.
Some residents have recently criticized Goldin, particularly for taking a position in Washington, D.C. as the director of real estate at the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
In published reports, Goldin has detailed his plans to jump-start development there on some of the region’s most valuable properties near Metrorail stations, including Transit-Oriented Development.
