By Rachel Cogsville-Lattimer
The Trenton Council of Civic Associations is opposed to the state’s plan to demolish and reconstruct new state buildings.
The state’s plan to demolish the agriculture, health, and taxation buildings and essentially build new structures farther away from the core of the city is fundamentally disheartening and will have economic impact on downtown Trenton.
Although state officials reported that they plan to build new structures, it appears the new sites will be farther away from downtown.
If this plan moves forward, they may have a serious negative effect, and the plan goes against the Trenton 250 Plan and the 2008 Downtown Master Plan, which are thoughtfully designed to strengthen downtown businesses and its residents.
Mixed-use development — residential and ancillary space above office space — should be the objective of negotiation with the state. Office space will satisfy the needs of the state. However, benefits to the city from strictly state offices are limited to foot traffic at lunchtime.
The combination of office and residential space will make the downtown come alive at lunchtime as well as during evenings and weekends.
Some important issues to sort through:
Mixed-use buildings: Office space at the base with housing and ancillary space on top is the optimum development program for the city.
Foundation and related costs allocated to office space: Mixed-use development will enable the office space to pay for the foundations and related infrastructure costs, such as elevator shafts. This will reduce the cost of the apartments and ancillary spaces — swimming pool, gym, restaurant, etc.
Property taxes: State buildings are exempted from property taxes. Residential and related commercial spaces on top of the state offices will enable the city to collect property taxes.
Location of proposed state office buildings and local business opportunities: Everybody should be on the same page as it relates to the exact location, size, cost, and timeframe. Where possible, local businesses should be given priority for all service during the construction period and during operation of the buildings.
It would be ideal to discuss with the architect/developer the economics of the state office space absorbing the cost of the foundations. This could be a win for all — the governor, mayor and residents.
In addition, the surfaces at the agriculture and health buildings should be turned into shopping outlets/small businesses with a grocery store such as Wegmans or Whole Foods or something along those lines.
Trenton should have — and needs to have — a downtown that is sustainable, thriving, upbeat, economically viable, and has skylines. Let’s focus on building, instead of taking away, from the city of Trenton.
Rachel Cogsville-Lattimer is president of the Trenton Council of Civic Associations. This letter originally appeared in the Times of Trenton.
