Attached please find a letter I sent yesterday to West Windsor Council members in support of members who are being attacked by Steve Goldin. While most residents are still supporting a modest redevelopment, they are furious at Goldin’s recent ad and phone campaign and express doubts about the way the township has handled the project and the litigation.
Dear Diane, Charlie and Linda,
Several neighbors told me that they were infuriated when they saw InterCap’s ad in the local newspapers. They noted that by attacking you personally, Mr. Goldin only enhanced public disgust with his bullying methods. One resident noted that this is not the first time that we have been subjected to this kind of malicious propaganda and said: “pictures, E-mail addresses, phone numbers, where would he go next?”
I am taking Mr. Goldin’s advice and I am writing to you to let you know that the residents of West Windsor support YOUR struggle against this bully. I am writing to you to let you know that the residents of West Windsor support YOU because YOU are fighting for the interests of the residents of West Windsor.
I heard from residents in Sherbrooke Estates, Penns Neck, Berrien City, Windsor Haven, the Estates at Princeton Junction, Windsor Chase, Colonial Park and Princeton Ivy Estates (and other parts of West Windsor). They all support your effort to correct the mistakes that were done in a hasty manner, while expecting you to be a rubber stamp. The residents of West Windsor are asking you not to yield to the manipulations of InterCap Holdings.
Some said that maybe it is a good time to appoint a grand redeveloper for the whole area and put the Goldin property in a waiting list until the Township figures out a way to handle the whole redevelopment project.
There is a growing number of residents who are furious that there were no sincere and reliable independent financial, environmental and traffic studies. Some are projecting an additional burden on the township, which will translate into a significant increase in our property taxes.
They pointed out that we have been through this process since April of 2004 and maybe some council members and some members of the public have forgotten that we warned against this flawed process, against the bait and switch methods that Mr. Goldin has been using and the lack of detailed analysis and real consideration of the impact of the redevelopment project. Some complained “What’s the rush? Why now and in the peak holiday time when many residents are out of town?”
Some asked whether there is any guarantee that after squeezing our township, Mr. Goldin would not walk away and sell the property to somebody else, pocketing the increase in the value of the property and leaving us with the mess. After all, he does not have any completed project as a developer in his resume.
Some called for Mr. [Michael] Herbert [the Township attorney] to recuse himself from the process. I said it a long time ago: How can Mr. Herbert represent West Windsor Township in this litigation when he wrote the redevelopment plan for Hamilton Township (now withdrawn) WITH Mr. Goldin and wrote newspaper articles promoting such a redevelopment. Why did West Windsor Township not hire a professional lawyer/firm to handle the case and why did it not seek the help of its own redevelopment lawyer (Ed McManimon) in the litigation?
Some said that maybe this is a good opportunity to tell Mr. Goldin to go fly a kite and withdraw the designation of the Area in Need of Redevelopment. It was flawed anyway from the very beginning. It declared an area as blighted when it was not. It did not bring in any financial support for the project. We have witnessed the disappearance of money designated for traffic improvements. And we still do not have NJ Transit’s agreement for parking garages and crossings. It might be a good time to start all over again.
Some said that it might be a good idea to take some time to review how and why we got to where we are and what residents said and how they educated themselves about the redevelopment. A good starting point may be the information posted on the Princeton Junction Neighborhoods Coalition website: www.princetonol.com/groups/pjnc/
From the very start, most residents said that they are not against the project but expressed apprehension and worries that the project has not been handled properly. I wrote several letters to local newspapers and analyses of the project, Hillier’s mistakes, and Goldin’s bait and switch methods. I’ll be glad to send those to you so that you may share the information with those who were not there at the time or have forgotten.
[Current Council members Charlie Morgan and George Borek] were elected to Council on the promise of “no 1000 units” and putting Route 571 first and parking garages for West Windsor residents at the top of the list. Charlie has a detailed list of issues that were discussed and a detailed timeline for the project. I am sure Charlie can provide you with these lists. I hope that George will publicly reiterate his commitment to these promises and withdraw his support for Goldin’s dictates and that Kamal will join you as well in doing what is best for the residents of West Windsor.
Hemi Nae
Wycombe Way,
Princeton Junction
