West Windsor has not yet decided on a planner for its upcoming Princeton Junction area redevelopment, but the township is already imposing restrictions on area businesses based on the anticipated concept of the imminent overhaul. Two businesses located on Route 571, the road expected to be turned into a virtual “Main Street” by the project, will be subject to municipal legislation put in place to ensure that their locations mesh with the rest of the proposed transit village.
The renovation of the Mobil gas station on the corner of Route 571 and Alexander Road, originally rejected by the Zoning Board but then approved following a court appeal, will now be required to include widening of the roadway at the intersection. The application for a proposed Rite-Aid Pharmacy, meanwhile, was the subject of debate at a recent council meeting where members voiced concerns about the site fitting in with the township’s plan for the redevelopment area.
Township Attorney Michael Herbert is currently involved with drafting language for a “stop-gap” ordinance aimed at ensuring that the pharmacy will comply with the township’s esthetic vision for Route 571, also known as Princeton-Hightstown Road.
Charles Morgan, who at the time was Council President, described the problems with the proposed pharmacy: “It’s the wrong kind of building situated the wrong way on the site, located on a piece of property that is too small to accommodate everything that they want in the configuration that they have proposed.”
Township land use manager Samuel Surtees said the original proposal has been reviewed by the township and changes have been requested and those changes are now in the hands of the applicant. The application must still pass a review by the zoning board, and early indications are that the zoning board will require additional changes of the application.
Morgan said of the changes: “It is impossible to predict what the redevelopment area concepts will become, so it is impossible to provide Rite Aid any guidance other than conceptual guidance. We hope and expect that they will work with the town to meet our minimum expectations.”
A more definite idea of the redevelopment concept will come once the township selects a planner for the redevelopment project. Seventeen proposals are currently being considered, and the township expects to outline its criteria for selecting the planner by September.
The Mobil gas station has been approved to undergo renovations. The project, expected to take several months, will include improved gas pumps and a convenience store on the corner lot, and will also include widening the road. Several townships including West Windsor have approved a conceptual plan to improve traffic along Route 571, also known as Princeton-Hightstown Road. The concept includes widening the road. The gas station, owned by G & B Associates, sits at one of the narrowest points on the thoroughfare.
G & B Associates originally proposed a renovation in 2002, but was denied. The owners then sued the township and the Superior Court overturned the decision made by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The renovation is expected to take several months from the time work begins.
