I would like to offer a response to comments made by Bryan Maher in his interview with Vincent Xu (The News, January 22). Main Street is not Wall Street. Government has numerous checks and balances, which add to the time projects take. The whole bid process; being subject to codes and standards; and having to research applicable codes and standards for most projects all contribute to the time a project takes. Even though already budgeted, staff also has to get approval for spending from Council, which meets only twice a month.
But West Windsor is extremely lucky to have wonderful, talented professionals in the township. It should be noted that the professionals do not work 35-hour weeks. Many have to attend evening meetings with no compensation — Planning Board, Zoning Board, and Council meetings. Many continue to work extra hours when their project load demands it. Many of the staff are on call 24/7 for fires, accidents, sewer problems, etc. There are very impressive professionals at the township, as I am sure most elected officials and volunteers who work with them and residents who have been served by them agree.
Property taxes are not going up just because of union contracts for employees’ salaries and the rising cost of health care (for which employees are paying a growing percentage); they are also increasing because the cost of doing business is increasing. West Windsor is a growing community with growing demands on services. And West Windsor is a full-service community including emergency services, garbage pickup, recycling, and a liberal brush pickup schedule. Other neighboring municipalities may have lower municipal taxes, but property owners may need to pay separately for fire districts and garbage pickup. Added all together, what does a property owner pay? When I became mayor in 2001, the population was 22,492. The population estimate for 2014 was 28,465. We still only have one engineer. Neighboring municipalities have far more. Even so, we accomplish a great deal and have successfully kept tax increases to a minimum especially as compared to other municipalities in Mercer County. We strive to keep costs down. I would also suggest that when looking at taxes, one also looks at property values. West Windsor has protected property owners’ investments.
Concerning development and growth, Mr. Maher does not think the township’s affordable housing number is fair compared to other municipalities. A municipality’s affordable housing share is a constitutional mandate and is not decided at the municipal level. In fact, the total number of affordable units was decided by the State Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) before Governor Christie’s administration. Currently the number of additional affordable units will be decided by the court system according to the NJ Supreme Court decision of March 10, 2015.
Mr. Maher especially questions the Transit Village. I have always been one to espouse “smart growth” as opposed to having development litigated. Property owners are allowed by law to develop their properties according to existing zoning. In the past West Windsor has been criticized for not building affordable housing. The Estates at Princeton Junction was a “Builder’s Remedy” lawsuit that Toll Brothers won because they convinced the court that West Windsor was not providing sufficient affordable housing. After I became mayor I was at least able to negotiate contributions to roadway improvements and storm water improvements in an area that had flooded frequently and for township staff oversight of construction, all of which benefited West Windsor.
The Princeton Terrace at West Windsor apartments along Clarksville Road are also the result of litigation based on decisions made by township government in 1985. Here again I was able to negotiate a sewer extension along Meadow Road and intersection improvements at Clarksville and Meadow roads. These capital improvements benefited the township.
The Transit Village was envisioned to serve empty nesters and young professionals. Studies have shown that young people want walkable communities and public transportation. The amount of housing, which had been planned around the train station, was ultimately litigated by the property owner. Additionally, the designation of a redevelopment area around the train station would have provided West Windsor with up to $178 million in funding for traffic improvements along Route 1 and around the station. When Township Council in 2007 voted against the project, it caused the State Department of Transportation to withdraw the funding. Today this amount of funding would be unrealistic.
If a municipality or the state refuses to plan for additional affordable housing, the courts will do it for them as is now happening throughout the state. Because West Windsor has developed additional affordable housing over the past decade, it is in fairly good shape with current court involvement.
To slow residential growth, West Windsor has had a program of purchasing and preserving open space and farmland. This has continued to be successful and has been supported by contributions from the state and county. West Windsor has preserved about 50 percent of its acreage and there is more being negotiated. Also, to offset residential the township has been attracting numerous businesses and headquarters including Tyco, BlackRock, NRG Energy, and Hill Wallack. Otsuka, a pharmaceutical company is expanding its presence in West Windsor along the Route 1 corridor, which attracts both commercial and retail establishments.
The reality is that the township cannot stop property owners from developing their property. If it does, the owners will ask the courts to intervene. The best option is to manage growth using applicable state and local regulations, preserve existing open space, and attract more quality ratables. That is what I have done and will continue to do.
Finally I would like to point out that having colleagues working with one another in a congenial manner makes government work, like business, more smoothly and efficiently. I look forward to working with my new colleagues with pleasure.
Shing Fu-Hsueh
Mayor, West Windsor Township
