Big development plans in West Windsor focus on limited area

Meadow Road and Clarksville Road area targeted.

By: Jill Matthews
   WEST WINDSOR — Plans for a hotbed of possible development in the northwestern section of town, specifically along Clarksville and Meadow roads, as well as the results of several major studies, are expected to be presented to township boards in 2005.
   The look of Meadow and Clarksville roads will drastically change in the next few years if development plans expected to come before the township in 2005 eventually come to fruition.
   On the westernmost section of Clarksville Road lining the border with Lawrence Township sits the 653-acre site commonly known as the Wyeth property and once the site of a Cyanamid research facility. That property was sold for $35 million in June to The Rouse Co., which itself was acquired only two months later for $12.6 billion by General Growth Properties Inc., the nation’s second-largest shopping center owner, developer and manager of regional shopping malls.
   At question is the potential development of the site, considered by many to be the most desirable undeveloped land in Mercer County. Development plans for the massive property, which rests on both sides of Clarksville Road, are expected to come to the township early in 2005, said Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh.
   A series of previous public meetings, when the site was still owned by Wyeth, focused on a preliminary proposal for a mixed-use development of offices, upscale shopping, adult housing, research facilities, a hotel and community recreation space.
   It is unknown what General Growth Properties has in mind for the site. Mayor Hsueh said traffic planning and the preservation of open space are among his top priorities for the site, which is currently zoned for office, research and recreational uses.
   Just down from the former Wyeth property on the south side of Clarksville Road is the approximately 43-acre Akselrad property. The owners have been involved in 19 years of litigation and negotiations with the township but, because of a sewer infrastructure agreement approved in November, will be allowed to build 340 rental apartments, with an average of not more than two bedrooms per unit. Design plans likely will come before township boards in 2005.
   Across from the Akselrad property on Clarksville Road is 80 acres of undeveloped land, which is expected to be purchased by a group hoping to build the Jewish Community Campus of Princeton-Mercer-Bucks. Concept plans for the community campus include a two-story, 80,000-square-foot building that will house a nursery school, a fitness center, an indoor swimming pool and meeting rooms.
   Also envisioned for the site are 20 to 24 acres of recreational facilities intended as a summer camp that would include a multipurpose shelter for rainy days, tennis courts, basketball courts, soccer fields, softball fields, a food pavilion and an outdoor swimming pool. Plans may come before the Planning Board in the fall of 2005.
   Directly adjacent to the north side of the proposed JCC is township-owned Duck Pond Park, approximately 214 acres, which fronts on Meadow Road. The first phase of development of the site, which is marked for open space and 40 acres of ball fields and playgrounds, began late in 2004. Development will continue in 2005 and is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with fields being available for use in early 2006.
   The expansion of the 11,211-square-foot Princeton Presbyterian Church on Meadow Road to 42,966 square feet is anticipated to begin in 2005. The church received Planning Board approval in March to expand the church to include a 100-foot steeple, a media area, a multipurpose space, a children’s area, a caterer’s kitchen, an elevator and choir rehearsal space, among other things.
   Across from Duck Pond Park and wrapping around on Bear Brook Road is the 1,165-unit Tolls Brothers Estates at Princeton Junction complex. While the first few residents moved in during 2004, more are expected in 2005 as the developer continues construction at the massive site. Besides single-family houses at the site, the apartment complex also is under construction. Combined, construction of 400 or 500 new housing units could take place in 2005, according to Jim Parveese, township engineer.
   On the north side of Bear Brook Road is the proposed five-story, 128-unit age-restricted condominium complex. The plans call for two five-story buildings, each with 64 units. The buildings include four stories of livable space over a one-story parking garage. The developer also has plans for a clubhouse, outdoor heated pool with Jacuzzi, a gazebo, bocci court and an organic community garden. The developer would need an ordinance variance for the 23-acre site, which is currently zoned for up to 92 townhouses with no age restriction.
   The developer, Canada Land Co., appeared in 2004 before the Planning Board. Discussion of the proposed project focused on whether the residential structures, which would be the tallest in the township, would create an aesthetic eyesore because of their height and density. The developer will reappear before the Planning Board in 2005.
   This year, the township also is expected to see the results of several major studies initiated in 2004, including the Princeton Junction Train Station Vision Study, the Princeton Junction Redevelopment Study, the NJ Transit Bus Rapid Transit Study and the Route 571 Study. The township also may begin planning for a possible expansion of the senior center at the municipal complex.
   Under way this year will be the bulk of the township’s revaluation efforts to assess true values of commercial and residential property. In March 2004, Mercer County ordered the township, along with four other municipalities, to complete townshipwide real estate reassessments because the assessed values were continually getting further away from market values. But taxpayers will not feel the effects of the revaluation until 2006, when the revaluation is expected to be completed.