On February 18, Onyx Corporation, the new owners of Plainsboro Plaza, presented its plans for the redevelopment of the plaza to the Plainsboro Planning Board. Land use planner Jim Constantine spoke on behalf of Onyx and outlined the plan’s three main components: signage, facade improvements, and the reconfiguration of the rear portion of the parking lot.
According to Lester Varga, the township director of planning and zoning, the plan was well-presented and thorough, and was in fact a formal recitation of the plans for exterior improvements that Onyx had been developing since taking ownership of the property. (WW-P News, January 24). Onyx has worked closely with the township in this endeavor, focusing on the shared goal of generating interest for new tenants and increasing consumer traffic to the Plaza.
“The idea behind this plan is to make the plaza more esthetically pleasing to tenants and shoppers, while making the parking and access to the site more convenient,” said Varga.
“Onyx technically needed to seek a variance for the new signage they are proposing, because the township ordinance contemplates the plaza site as a whole, rather than allowing for different signage for the various buildings or sections. However, Onyx requested that the signage for the section facing Schalks Crossing Road and Plainsboro Town Center be modeled after the signage in the Town Center, so that the two sites appear to flow together. The Planning Board agreed with this modification and granted this variance.”
Varga explained that the Planning Board’s main concern was how the reconfiguration of the parking lot at the other end of the plaza would affect the landscaping. The Board wanted to ensure that there would continue to be adequate landscaping, and they also requested that additional benches be added near the center of the plaza, to encourage foot traffic and to give consumers a place to mingle. Onyx agreed to these requests.
“Onyx will be removing the heavy tree canopy that exists there to allow for more visibility for the businesses there. But they will not be reducing the amount of landscaping; just redesigning it as part of the redesign of the parking lot. The parking lot will be reconfigured to allow for easier access to that portion of the plaza for both cars and pedestrians,” Varga said.
“The Planning Board unanimously approved the site plan. Now Onyx will work towards perfecting the plans so that they can get building permits for the work, which is the next step in the plaza’s redevelopment,” Varga added.
