More than a decade after it was proposed, the transit village at the Princeton Junction train station—the centerpiece of West Windsor’s redevelopment zone—is still undeveloped. And while big ticket developments on the west side of the redevelopment sit in limbo, the transformation of the Princeton Junction business district into a vibrant “main street” is further along.
The stretch of Princeton-Hightstown Road, also known as county Rt. 571, between Wallace Road and Alexander Road, is slowly transitioning lot by lot into to a mixed-use, village-style corridor.
Under the township’s redevelopment plan, the existing commercial strip is zoned for a mix of commercial, office, civic and residential uses, with shops and service stores at street level and offices and residences on the upper floors.
At the time the transit village was being considered in the mid-2000s, residents demanded changes to the downtown Princeton Junction area, which was seen by many as being dilapidated and run down.
Several of the retail stores along Rt. 571 sat vacant, with boards covering their windows, which prompted some residents to refer to the area as “Plywood Junction.”
In response, the township enacted an “overlay” rezoning ordinance for downtown Princeton Junction that relies on individual property owners to redevelop their properties under new zoning standards that envision the area as a main street corridor. Since the passage of the ordinance, a number of properties have already seen new construction.
The gateways to the main street—PNC Bank and Rite-Aid at the intersection of Rt. 571, Wallace and Cranbury roads—have been in place for several years, as is the Chase Bank building at the corner of Route 571 and Sherbrook Drive. In addition, the former shopping Acme shopping center has been overhauled by the Cyzner Properties.
While nothing has happened in recent years, several other properties along the corridor are in various stages of development.
The most recent activity is the redevelopment of the 1.69-acre property at 43 Princeton-Hightstown Road, adjacent to the Rite-Aid. Currently occupied by Princeton Kitchen and Cabinet, plus offices on the second floor, the property owner has filed an application to raze the existing building and construct a mixed use complex. The project will come before the Planning Board as early as Nov. 2.
The property was purchased by Michael Jin of Princeton Ascend Properties in 2013 for $1.25 million. The company is proposing a new building with 14,243 square feet of retail on the first floor, 17 apartments (five affordable) on the second floor and seven 2.5 story “live-work units.” The latter are essentially townhouses, though the first floor is intended to serve as professional office space and the upper floors will be the operator’s living space.
Another commercial building on the horizon is at 55 Princeton-Hightstown Road, the two-story building adjacent to Weichert. The owner of record is Bilal Mian of Bridgewater, and in preliminary discussions with the township’s office of community development, he has expressed interest in building an addition to the front of the building.
The addition is intended to attract a food business. The first floor of the existing building would be converted to retail and office, while the second floor would be converted to apartments. A dozen or so apartments could be installed on the second story, though no application has been filed.
Another piece of the puzzle is the Ellsworth Center, which sits on the northern end of the village corridor off Cranbury Road. Owner Shawn Ellsworth received zoning approvals back in 2013 to expand the existing 22,000-square-foot commercial space to 34,000 square feet. In addition, two one-bedroom apartments will be replaced by 20 one-bedroom units above the retail space.
However, that project has been on hold as a result of litigation by the adjacent property owner, Jacinto Rodrigues. The Newark-based developer owns the blighted property abutting the train tracks behind the Ellsworth Center, and he is challenging the variances granted to the Ellsworth Center by the Zoning Board.
At the same time, Rodrigues has his own mixed-use development application, which requires similar variances. This puts him in the position of legally contesting his neighbor’s variances while simultaneously needing the same ones for his own property. The township prevailed in court but Rodrigues has appealed the decision, and another ruling is expected by the end of the year.
His most recent mixed-use proposal also did not receive safety approval from the fire marshal. Last November, after five meetings, the township’s Site Plan Review Advisory Board rejected Rodrigues’ mixed-use proposal.
For its part, in 2014 the township amended the redevelopment plan as part of a preliminary process to condemn Rodrigues’ blighted property through eminent domain. However, the town has not initiated the condemnation process.
The whole saga has so far successfully ensnared the neighboring Ellsworth Center, but there may be an end run solution.
The site’s mixed-use development is reliant on zoning variances, in particular two vacant residential lots on Cranbury Road which received approval for conversion into parking and water detention. Since those variances are under continued legal assault, the township added the two properties into the redevelopment zone.
Ellsworth can then avoid the Zoning Board and submit a new mixed-use development application before the Planning Board.
While that plays out on the northern end of the village corridor, a conflict of a more political nature on the southern end, the John Nash pocket park, seems to be concluding.
Designs for a small park with Asian design elements have been on the books for several years now, though the administration’s initiative has encountered opposition from council. The mayor proceeded with a dedication ceremony this year and without council support he has secured donations for fixtures in the park.
Finally, there are also significant improvements planned for Route 571 between Wallace to Clarksville roads, a project first conceptually approved by council in 2005.
The road reconfiguration calls for six-foot bike lanes on each side the road, reducing the single through lane in each direction to 12 feet, and installing a continuous center turn lane (similar to Rt. 33 in Hamilton Township). In addition, the overall streetscape will include street lights, sidewalks and a greenway for benches and trees.
Mercer County has jurisdiction over Route 571, and the road’s redesign is one of several county projects being impacted by the battle between Gov. Chris Christie and the state legislature over the replenishment of the state’s Transportation Trust Fund.
In an email, county spokesperson Julie Willmot said the Route 571 project is in the final design phase, but it has been halted “as a result of the Governor’s executive order to stop projects being funded through the Transportation Trust Fund.”
In response, the county has filed a “notice of claim,” a legal prerequisite to seeking damages from the state. When funding finally comes through, the next steps are to complete an engineering and design survey and then award a construction contract. The county has contracted with the Louis Berger Group, a Morristown-based engineering firm, for $799,000, but the contract is frozen, due to the wrangling at the statehouse.
More significant are the subsequent construction costs, which are estimated to be several million dollars, and the township is counting on state and federal funding.
Mayor Shing-fu Hsueh says the Transportation Trust Fund is in part funded by federal money, and so planning for the 571 project has also required working with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. With the whole Transportation Trust Fund issue still unresolved, the project has ended up being indefinitely delayed.
Hsueh said that the state allocated $4 million for Route 571 in 1998. However, the county’s plan then was to transform Route 571 into five lanes. The concept of more lanes for more traffic was eventually discarded for the 2005 plan, which favors “smart growth,” Hsueh said.
Council member Alison Miller, who was also on council when redevelopment was under consideration, says Princeton Ascend’s application at 43 Princeton-Hightstown Road is a good indication that the township’s planning is viable.
“The mayor is the one who went for creating the enormous redevelopment area,” Miller said. “It is a planning mechanism that allows for some flexibility. There were funding advantages from the state at the time, though I have no idea whether that’s available now.”
Miller adds that the redevelopment plan was formulated before the recession. There was an expectation of great interest from developers in those days, and so generating a comprehensive plan would have been advantageous.
The hope is Princeton Ascend will kickstart a trend.
“I’m pleased that this particular area, which was looked at in the early 1990s, is finally going to become main street,” Miller said. “I think it will be good for West Windsor and perhaps set an example for other parts of town.”
