Your September 23 edition reported West Windsor Mayor Hsueh’s announcement at the September 19 Council meeting of the proposal for a new train station parking area. While the mayor said the new spaces would be restricted to West Windsor residents, he also acknowledged that he would deny the low-cost, fast-track approval that the West Windsor Parking Authority has requested.
I find it curious that a project that has been more or less dormant for over a year is now suddenly on the mayor’s radar . Could it be because I called for this project to get fast-tracked on September 2 when my colleagues and I filed our petitions to be candidates for Council in the November 8 election?
This site has laid idle and overgrown with weeds for far longer than was necessary. Meanwhile many West Windsor commuters and those wishing to have more daily parking have been greatly inconvenienced to not have these additional spaces available.
The Parking Authority, which would operate the new parking facility, is doing its best to provide parking for West Windsor commuters at minimal cost. So why is the administration throwing obstacles before the Parking Authority that can only cost more money for our commuters?
Our team for Council believes that this project is an example of the foot-dragging that has been so prevalent in West Windsor. We believe projects like this that affect quality of life for West Windsor residents deserve fast-track implementation. Go for the low-cost, fast-track path requested by the Parking Authority, Mr. Mayor!
Gary Zohn, Strong Leaders for West Windsor
Editor’s note: Zohn’s letter, which also has appeared in other area newspapers, received the following response from the West Windsor Parking Authority.
The following are some clarifications in response to the letter from council candidate Gary Zohn. First, since compost activity ceased in December, 2008, township staff has worked with the Parking Authority to plan parking for township residents. The property, which was once a landfill, needed a remediation investigation. To get funding for this, the Mayor had a contact at the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) who helped staff get grants to begin. The property may have appeared dormant but there has been a lot of activity. The grant application and remediation investigation have taken time including reviews by the NJ DEP and the construction of test wells.
We are now in a position to have the concept for the parking lot reviewed by the Planning Board where the parking lot will act as a cap for remediation. The Parking Authority is funding the project to keep it moving. It should be noted that the property is in the redevelopment area, but even if it weren’t, it would still need to be reviewed by the Planning Board. This is scheduled for November. While the mayor has asked staff to “fast track” the project, they need to adhere to existing ordinances and have a public meeting at which residents can offer comments. There are also DEP approvals required. Township staff and the Parking Authority are in agreement with this approach.
Andy Lupo, Chair, Parking Authority
M. Patricia Ward, Director, Community Development
