Bordentown firm’s townhouse proposal draws criticism

Presentation intended to garner resident response.

By:Vanessa S. Holt
   BORDENTOWN CITY — Representatives of a firm that had proposed to build a 20-unit townhouse development on Third Street said they would come back with a different idea after their plan met with strong criticism from the city’s Planning Board and the public.
   Architect Larry Cirangle sketched out an informal proposal from Bordentown City’s Five Third Street Associates before the board and about 20 residents on Feb. 5.
   The proposal was not voted on and the informal presentation was intended to garner a response from the board and the public, said Mr. Cirangle.
   The 2.5-acre site is located at the intersection of Third and East Park streets. Audience and board members examined copies of a drawing of the proposed development which sketched out the positions of 20 townhouses, clustered together in groups of four to six, and a 55-space parking lot fronting Third Street.
   One board member commented that the plan looked like an apartment complex, a sentiment echoed by the public as they examined the plan.
   Mr. Cirangle described the buildings as "high-quality, beautiful townhouses" with an upscale appearance. Board members quickly pointed out that the R1 zone in which the townhouses would be located would not allow for that level of density.
   Board member Steve McGowan objected to the parking lot in the front of the complex and the density at the site.
   He noted that the city’s Master Plan calls for a "campus-like setting" in that part of town, with more open space than buildings.
   Board member Janet Denne noted that each individual unit would automatically generate at least two cars, adding a considerable amount of traffic to a street that is not heavily traveled.
   "I believe you’re asking us to drastically change that little corner of our town," noted Mayor Bill Collom.
   He said single-family homes and open space were appropriate for the zone and rejected the prospective applicants’ reasoning that the townhouses would improve the quality of the neighborhood.
   "It is inconsistent with the Master Plan and the direction we’re going with that part of town," said board member Mike Hunninghake.
   Several residents spoke up at the meeting, including a Third Street resident who echoed Ms. Denne concerns that the additional car traffic would be unmanageable.
   He added that the space would be better used as passive recreation or preserved under the state Green Acres Program.
   Eileen Ratigan, a Bank Street resident, said the area in question has always been open space, and served as marching grounds for the Bordentown Military Institute when it operated across the street from the site.
   "That many units, with a parking lot, will degrade the neighborhood," she said. "The Third Ward cannot support the traffic. It would tear us all down."
   The Five Third Street Associates representatives agreed to re-examine their plan and said they would come back in the future with something more appropriate for the site.