Plans for the site of the former Acme shopping center have generated chatter among residents about the possibility of creating a long-desired pathway leading through the woods behind the property to the train station, which advocates claim will provide an easier and safer route for pedestrians.
As officials prepare for the scheduled Planning Board review of the proposal on Wednesday, October 20, the topic was discussed on the West Windsor community discussion group on Google, at https://groups.google.com/group/WWCommunityDiscussion?lnk=srg.
Rita McGrath, of the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance, wrote on the forum that during the West Windsor Walks event on September 23, participants asked about the planned path that would allow pedestrians to go directly to the train station through the area behind the former Acme, “rather than having to walk all the way to the corner of Wallace and Route 571, and double back again to circumnavigate the Schlumberger property.”
She said some residents understood that the path was to be provided by the owners of the Windsor Plaza property, although there was no discussion of the path during the SPRAB meeting last month.
“It would be a major boon to those of us who regularly walk to the station from the Sherbrooke and Berrien City areas, and would also remove some pedestrian traffic from that dreadful intersection at Wallace/Cranbury/571,” McGrath said. “It would make business sense to have such a path to the plaza, as that would attract additional foot traffic from people coming from the train, who might provide customers for the shops.”
Alison Miller, a former councilwoman and former member of the Planning Board, said: “The proposed pathway, which would serve to shorten the bike/ped route to the train station, would run from the back of the ‘Acme’ property to Borosko Place, which runs off Scott between Alexander and Wallace,” explained Miller. “Users would then take Scott to Wallace as they do now. Schlumberger [the company that owns the office on Wallace road across from the station] would not be affected.”
“This may not be the straightest route to the station, but it has the advantage of being possible to construct because only one property owner, Cyzner, need be involved,” added Miller.
Susan Abbey, a member of SPRAB, said there are plans for improvements to the intersection of Scott Avenue and Wallace Road, which include adding a sidewalk and lights to the other side of Scott Avenue so that the new crossing would be located where cars exit the train station — “where you can easily see much further in both direction in order to cross. The existing crossing is extremely dangerous for pedestrians.”
Abbey also clarified misunderstandings about the “Acme Woods,” which is not preserved by the township, but is actually zoned for residential uses and serves as a “substantial drainage area for the parking lot and points south.”
“The water drains through that area, through Schlumberger, under the street, into the Wallace Pond and under the tracks to what used to be called the Bear Swamp (now the parking lot),” she explained.
Either way, residents are looking for a path to be included in the upcoming discussions. “With the change in ownership of Windsor Plaza, this may be the best shot we ever get at having this footpath created,” wrote McGrath. “The redevelopment plan that was adopted calls for pedestrian access to the train station running through the Acme woods, and my understanding was that this would be requested of the developer fixing up the Plaza.”
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said the possible pedestrian pathway should be discussed when the plans head to the Planning Board.
“Personally, I would like to see that, but again, I would like to see how that would fit into the whole picture,” Hsueh said.
If there is a path to be created, that path would have to be developed by Cyzner Properties, which owns the site, and not any other neighboring property owner, he said.
“It’s part of the whole Windsor Plaza complex,” he said. “Behind it, it is residential zoning, and in the front, it is commercial zoning. So, we have to look into how the whole thing will be integrated together.”
Hsueh said he hasn’t discussed the path with Cyzner officials, but has had general discussions with them about the site. “This is the kind of thing I’ve been promoting in this community, so I’m going to look into the opportunities of doing it,” he said of the path.
