Your story on the Ellsworth development plan in the May 10 issue claims that “Redevelopment of the area around the Princeton Junction train station has not played out the way many residents had hoped it would.” What “many residents”? Who are you talking about?
This statement makes a totally invalid assumption. To my knowledge over the past five years, at least, there has been very little public support for the Goldin redevelopment plan in any of its many forms. Who in his right mind would want to bring more traffic, more commercial development, and more housing with thousands of people and their cars to an area of about one-quarter of a square mile, most of which is highly desirable open space with a few perfectly serviceable office buildings scattered around. Not many in their right minds, unless their only goal was to make money at the expense of West Windsor’s quality of life. We don’t need it and we don’t want it. If the lack of activity there in the past year or two means that Mr. Goldin is having difficulty with the plan, so be it. Maybe it’s an indication that he’ll go away and bother some other community that he thinks needs to be “redeveloped.”. As far as commuters are concerned, maybe it’s time they realized we’ve reached our capacity for parking their cars. No more!
By the way, the Ellsworth plan seems to be a good solution for a long-blighted area with little negative impact potential. The residents of 18 apartments can be easily absorbed in the area. Not so, the many hundreds proposed by Goldin.
On another subject, the letter pointing out the lack of a grocery store in the “new” Windsor Plaza (formerly Acme shopping center) was very pertinent. I suppose the developer of that place with all its phony second floor apartments has explored the possibilities and come up empty. Too bad.
Dick Snedeker
Editor’s Note: The May 10 article was recalling not the Goldin plan but an earlier proposal for a larger transit village spanning both sides of the train tracks. Enthusiasm was high, as measured by hundreds of people who turned out at a half dozen planning sessions.
