I’ve lived in West Windsor for 14 years. My children have grown up here. Sadly, the quality of life that we sought when we moved here has gradually diminished largely due to extensive development.##M:[more]## The schools and roads have become more and more crowded and much of the open space has been built out. My property taxes have nearly tripled.
As any New York City commuter knows, the trains are very crowded. Each morning there is a race for a parking spot followed by shoulder to shoulder jockeying on the station platform in an attempt to squeeze through the train doors and get a seat. It is not uncommon to stand all the way to New York, and the trains are seldom on schedule.
Access to the station for additional non-residents will only make this situation worse. The train station is in West Windsor and there should be a parking spot for any resident who wants one. Clearly improvements to Princeton Junction are needed, but not necessarily on the scale that has been proposed.
I’ve carefully followed the progress of the proposed transit village, and have not seen or heard any indication that the Mayor and the developers sought the prior approval of West Windsor residents for this project.
This proposal will alter the character of West Windsor forever and the fundamental question should be: Do the residents of West Windsor want a transit village and development on the scale that has been proposed? I urge the Mayor and Council to put this question to a township wide referendum before proceeding any further with a development that perhaps many of us do not want.
Mitchell Battino
Spruce Street, West Windsor
