Proposal for town center complex ‘totally compliant’

Planning Board gets
look at general plan for Crossings at Old Bridge

By sue m. morgan
Staff Writer

Planning Board gets
look at general plan for Crossings at Old Bridge
By sue m. morgan
Staff Writer

OLD BRIDGE — See a movie, buy a bagel, get a haircut, go to the bank and upgrade your cell phone.

That and more would all be possible with one trip to a town square that has been proposed at the northeast corner of Route 516 and Cottrell Road.

An existing house, cottage and barn on that 22-acre site, part of the former Cottrell farm, would be converted to retail stores and eateries under a general development plan presented by a developer to the Old Bridge Planning Board on June 10.

No action was taken on the application by the Jerald Development Group, of Wall Township, to construct the 219,000-square-foot mixed-use complex that would be called Crossings at Old Bridge. The application, which will eventually need preliminary and final site plan approval, was carried to a special board meeting set for Aug. 20.

That is when many neighbors of the proposed retail and residential center expect to address the board about traffic, safety and privacy concerns raised by the notion of living near this sprawling municipality’s designated "town center" zone. Most of those neighbors reside in the Old Bridge Mews subdivision, located off Cottrell Road just north of the proposed complex, or in the Society Hill townhouse development, located along the southeast side of Route 516.

Nonetheless, Jonathan Heilbrunn, an Old Bridge-based attorney representing the applicant, stressed the project’s value as a tax ratable that would fit in with the township’s master plan and zoning regulations.

"[The applicant] has made an endeavor and success in going through the master plan and town center ordinance without asking for one variance or waiver," Heilbrunn said.

"The objective is to be totally compliant with everything we submit to you," he added.

The applicant has met with residents of both Old Bridge Mews and Society Hill to address "a number of concerns," Heilbrunn noted.

In all, 144,000 square feet of the complex would be dedicated to retail space, according to an information packet released by Jerald Development.

A multiplex movie theater, an Ann Taylor Loft clothing boutique, eateries including Subway, Salad Works and Manhattan Bagel, an Amboy National Bank, hair and nail salons, a jewelry store and a daycare center have all expressed interest in locating at the complex, according to the applicant.

As many as 129 residential apartments could be constructed on the second and third floors of some of the commercial buildings, including those backing up to Route 516, said James W. Higgins, a professional planner who testified on the applicant’s behalf. Also, 94 age-restricted townhouses could be built on the square’s north end between Cottrell Road and Bradford Drive and abutting Old Bridge Mews, Higgins said.

A memorial at the northeast corner of Route 516 and Cottrell Road, as well as a pond, a pavilion, and bicycle and walking trails are also planned, Higgins said.

Patron parking would be available on the interior access roads and behind the retail buildings, Higgins said. The apartment and townhouse residents would have their own parking areas, he added.

"It has a downtown-type feeling," Higgins said. "It’s a very pedestrian-friendly environment."

Landscaped islands would also be placed in the center of Route 516 and Cottrell Road where those roads run alongside the complex, Heilbrunn said.

By working with the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the developer would try to get the speed limit along Route 516 reduced to 45 mph in the town center district, Heilbrunn said. A traffic signal could also be placed at Route 516 and Thames Drive, the road that transverses the Society Hill development, the attorney noted.

The retail component could be sustained because "approximately 15,000 people reside within a mile of the proposed complex," the developer’s information states. "The fundamental objective of the Crossings is to provide a town square atmosphere where people will come to shop, eat and gather for various events."

At last week’s meeting, two neighbors of the proposed complex put their concerns on the record.

John Howlett, president of the Old Bridge Mews Homeowners Association, told the board that residents of his development often find it difficult to turn left onto Cottrell Road given the heavy traffic conditions now.

"This [complex] will only complicate that particular problem," Howlett said.

George Lerner, president of the Society Hill Townhouse Association, praised the developer’s offer to install a traffic signal at Route 516 and Thames Drive. However, many motorists heading north on Cottrell Road now use Thames Drive as a shortcut to Route 516 eastbound, Lerner said, noting that increased traffic around the complex could exacerbate that situation.

"There are speeding concerns on Thames Drive now," Lerner said.

Additionally, residents of Minstrel Court, a Society Hill street that parallels Route 516, are concerned that third-floor apartment dwellers whose units back up to the county road will be able to see into the windows of their two-story homes, Lerner noted.

Jerald Development first presented its plans for the town square at an Aug. 28 meeting of the Old Bridge Economic Development Corp. (EDC). The developer has been trying to sell township officials on the plan by indicating that it will ease the residential tax burden and still fit in with the existing master plan and town center zone.

Representatives of the developer have also compared the Crossings at Old Bridge to Palmer Square in Princeton and Peddler’s Village in Bucks County, Pa.