Washington Township wants to be proactive
Adele Gambardella
WASHINGTON — Township officials say they are taking a pre-World War II approach to the ongoing development of the town center project.
“Before World War II, municipalities were a lot more proactive in their approach to designing a town,” said Bob Melvin, township director of planning.
“While driving through other towns, have you ever seen two businesses juxtaposed to one another, and it seems peculiar they would be next to one another? This is why we are working with the developers to make sure that doesn’t happen with this project.”
The Township Committee last week reached agreement with the developer, Sharbell Newton Inc. of Hamilton, for the first phase of the town center project.
Township Administrator Mike Dill said the township expects Sharbell to begin “moving dirt” for Phase One, which will be located near the corner of Route 526 and Route 33, by the end of the summer.
According to the agreement, Phase One will include 113 residential units and five open space lots for use as parks. The residential units include 25 village homes, 41 “narrow” homes, 12 duplex homes and 35 urban apartments.
The housing units will be completed in five to 15 years, depending on the market demand, officials said.
The town center will be developed around Route 33, which will become the township’s “main street.” The center will be bordered primarily by Route 130, Hutchinson Road, Washington Boulevard and Route 33.
It will feature a total of approximately 1,000 housing units ranging from townhouses to duplexes and single, detached houses. Each type will be mixed equally throughout the town center.
The town center has been under development for more than a decade, and is approximately 15 years from completion, township officials have said.
The project is unusual because Washington is one of the first towns working with the developer on details such as the design regulations, zoning and architecture of the project, township officials said.
“A host of other towns have been built on the principle that the municipalities should have more of a say, like Doylestown, Princetonand Flemington to name a few,” Mr. Melvin said.
The overall project is set to preserve open space while taking care of population growth in the township. The 450-acre development plan is expected to preserve open space by creating a 300-acre green belt around the town center.
“I think by being involved in the planning we can build a community that is not fragmented, but is a more cohesive vision for the community,” Mr. Melvin said.