The Township Committee is considering designating about 12 acres of the Wright and West properties for roads to accommodate a future library, community center or possible school expansion.
By: Nick D’Amore
The Township Committee is considering designating about 12 acres of the Wright and West properties for roads to accommodate a future library, community center or possible school expansion.
It also is considering maintaining a building, currently on the property, to be used for public works.
Mayor Michael Mayes said the road provisions were added in case of school expansion.
"It is likely we would need another access road, other than the school parking lot," he said.
"Our motivation for looking at this is we’re putting the vast majority of land into the farmland preservation program. We have to decide how much acreage we want to hold back and not put into that program," said Mayor Mayes.
Mayor Mayes said the potential road could only connect with Prospect Street, Wheatfield Road or something further west on Plainsboro Road. He said the rough diagram extends Wheatfield Road to connect to Park Place West.
"Right now, we have no intention or plan to build a road," said Mayor Mayes.
He said the principle reason for making the provision is so the committee knows how much additional land it would have to keep aside if a road needs to be built. He said the road may require 3 acres.
The committee also discussed having traffic consultant Michelle MacKinnon look over traffic and circulation improvements and site-line issues for the Plainsboro Road and Wheatfield Road intersection.
Comitteeman Tom Gambino said the committee also will have Ms. MacKinnon investigate the entrance at the West property as far as its future as an access road to the school and ball fields.
"We made no decision other than to investigate these issues and then discuss with the school," he said.
The committee also discussed retaining a building on the West property for municipal uses and to "square up" the property, said Mr. Gambino.
Mr. Gambino said the original layout drawing of the parcel did not include the building and the property "was too irregularly shaped."
He also said the building was better in municipal control.
The building is a 5,000-square-foot warehouse, built five years ago, attached to part of a greenhouse complex that housed coolers and the boiler room.
Mr. Gambino said some immediate uses for the building could be to store public works equipment, such as lawnmowers and trucks.
"We have a lot more property in the center village, more downtown mowing," he said, citing township soccer fields and Heritage Park.