Lawrence officials have concerns about proposal.
By: Lea Kahn
If Lawrence Township officials had any concerns that their comments on a proposed 6-million-square-foot development in West Windsor Township would fall on deaf ears, that concern can be put to rest.
West Windsor Township Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said last week that he would welcome input from Lawrence Township officials on the development, which is proposed for the former American Cyanamid property on the corner of Quakerbridge Road and Route 1. Quakerbridge Road is the boundary between West Windsor and Lawrence townships.
Municipal Manager William Guhl said he was "encouraged" by Mayor Hsueh’s interest in having Lawrence Township participate in the development process. He said Lawrence officials would be contacting Mayor Hsueh’s office to see what role West Windsor may envision for the township.
Wyeth Inc., which owns the former American Cyanamid property on the West Windsor Township side of Quakerbridge Road, approached the Rouse Co. to develop the 653-acre site. The parcel, which is more than one square mile in size, is bordered on the east by Route 1, on the south by Quakerbridge Road and on the west by the Amtrak railroad tracks. It is bisected by Clarksville Road.
Last month, the Rouse Co. and Wyeth Inc. trotted out proposed development plans at a pair of open-house sessions at the Mercer Oaks golf course clubhouse. The developer is considering building nearly 6 million square feet of retail, office and hotel space, plus research facilities and about 800 units of age-restricted housing.
However, a formal development plan has not been submitted. The land is zoned for office use, so West Windsor officials would need to rezone the property to accommodate the mixed-use development.
"The developer held the two open houses to get input from the community," Mayor Hsueh said. "I want to be more open. I want to get input from different communities. There is no problem with getting input and different perspectives.
"It would be good for Lawrence to express its concerns," he said. "Lawrence’s comments are welcome and we will consider them. We invite Lawrence to express its concerns, but the final decision (on an application) will be made by the (West Windsor Township) Planning Board."
There is still no official application that’s why the doors are still open for comment, Mayor Hsueh said. When an application is filed and it is heard before the West Windsor Township Planning Board, those meetings will be open to the public, he added.
"I want to hear reasonable comments," he said. "I won’t have other towns come in and say to West Windsor, ‘You have to rezone it for open space.’ But under law, a property owner has the right to do something (with the land). As the West Windsor mayor, I have to protect and defend the interests of the township."
Mayor Hsueh said he is aware of the traffic implications of such a massive development, but he also pointed out that traffic from the Quaker Bridge Mall located opposite the American Cyanamid site passes through West Windsor.
Traffic is a regional issue and thus it requires a regional solution, Mayor Hsueh said. West Windsor and Lawrence cannot solve the traffic issues alone, he said, adding that he "would be happy" to invite all of the mayors in the area to discuss traffic issues.
Mr. Guhl agreed that a 6-million-square-foot development, such as the one that is being proposed for the West Windsor site, would have a negative impact on Lawrence and the Route 1 corridor.
"It is hard not to think of a project of this scope parochially," Mr. Guhl said. "There are significant negative consequences from a project of this magnitude traffic. To that extent, certainly we are interested in seeing a project that is sensitive to the already (traffic) overburdened Route 1 and surrounding collector roads."
While Mr. Guhl said it is good West Windsor is willing to hear out Lawrence’s complaints, the township needs to do more than simply complain to West Windsor.
"(West Windsor) is exercising its rights under the law," he said. "We can’t expect West Windsor to say, ‘We are not going to develop because of our moral obligation to consider the impact on Lawrence.’
"I suspect the real forum for expressing our concerns over traffic (besides the West Windsor Township Planning Board) is at the Mercer County Planning Board and the state Department of Transportation. We have those alternatives available to us," he said. Quakerbridge Road is a county road and Route 1 is a state highway.
Mr. Guhl said that while the two townships enjoy a good relationship with each other, he doubted that West Windsor Township would be "substantially swayed" in its decision-making by comments that Lawrence might express on the impact of the proposed development.
"It’s an interesting question should a community, when it is proposing a development, consider the consequences (beyond its own borders)," Mr. Guhl said. "What obligation does it have to consider the impact? If the development were in Lawrence, we would look at it in terms of the impact on traffic in Lawrence. But I don’t think we would say, ‘What will it do to West Windsor or Hamilton?’
In fact, several major developments have occurred on the Lawrence side of Province Line Road and Quakerbridge Road two roads that form the boundary between Lawrence and West Windsor. These developments include the Yorkshire Village housing development, the Mercer Mall, the Quaker Bridge Mall, the Lawrence Square Village townhouse development and the Avalon Run rental apartment complex. All are located on Province Line or Quakerbridge roads.
Asked whether Lawrence officials consulted their West Windsor counterparts when the Quaker Bridge Mall and the Mercer Mall were built in the 1970s, Mr. Guhl said he did not know the answer to that question. Local lore has it that Quaker Bridge Mall was originally proposed for West Windsor Township, but West Windsor would not consider it, he added.
The Lawrence Square Village, Yorkshire Village and Avalon Run developments were approved before he became the municipal manager in 1992, Mr. Guhl added. He said he did not know to what extent West Windsor may have been contacted by Lawrence officials for reaction or input on those developments.
"When we think of development in Lawrence, we don’t think, ‘Let’s put it on our border,’" Mr. Guhl said. "I don’t think it is too reasonable to criticize West Windsor for considering such a massive development (on that site). There was sole ownership of the (American Cyanamid) land for decades and it was not developed. At this stage, it is happenstance that it will be developed."
Mr. Guhl pointed out that the Municipal Land Use Law allows municipalities "a great deal of control" over the development of land within their borders. But Gov. James McGreevey’s recent proposal for the state to assume more control in an effort to stem suburban sprawl could reduce municipalities’ control over land development, he said.
Mr. Guhl pointed out that the proposed Rouse Co. development will have an impact on West Windsor, also. But West Windsor officials will weigh the issues as they relate to the quality of life in that township, he said.
"Do I hope they will end up with a development that has been ratcheted back from what has been proposed? Of course. We will use all the available routes to express (that opinion)," Mr. Guhl said.

