Goal-setting sessions begin for key Montgomery tract

154-acre parcel is located across from Pike Run development.

By: Kara Fitzpatrick
   MONTGOMERY — The Master Plan Committee met Tuesday to discuss basic goals for the development of a 154-acre tract across Route 206 from the Pike Run development.
   The project is known as the Belle Mead Planning and Design Initiative — and township officials intend to involve the entire community in shaping the parcel’s future through a design workshop.
   Township officials have indicated that the parcel, which is in common ownership with the Pike Run development, should be designed to reflect the possibility of the opening of the West Trenton passenger rail line.
   The old Belle Mead train station is located on the tract to be evaluated, and New Jersey Transit is currently weighing the feasibility of reopening the West Trenton line to passenger service. That line, which closed in 1982, serviced the Belle Mead station.
   Currently, the 154-acre tract is zoned for research, engineering and office use, but officials have indicated that could change as a result of the planning exercise.
   During Tuesday’s meeting, which was conducted by Robert Lane, director of Regional Design Program for the Regional Plan Association, municipal officials pointed out some basic necessities to keep in mind when designing the site.
   Some goals mentioned included the increasing of township ratables, creating a place with a distinct identity, reinforcing the historic character of the Belle Mead neighborhood, establishing adjacent pedestrian connections and maximizing open-space preservation elsewhere in the town.
   To achieve open-space preservation, the township plans to incorporate a transfer-of-development-rights ordinance under state law. Such an ordinance allows the township or a landowner to acquire the development rights to a specifically zoned piece of land and transfer those rights to build at a greater density to another location in order to avoid the use of public funds for the purchase of land. The Belle Mead parcel could be a receiving zone for development rights from other, more environmentally sensitive sections of town, like the Sourland Mountain area, township officials have said in the past.
   Mayor Louise Wilson said the parcel needs to function "whether or not there is public transportation on the site."
   Currently, there is no New Jersey Transit bus service in that area. The mayor said the West Trenton line could be 10 years away from fruition.
   John Rea, traffic engineer consultant for the township, cautioned officials about the increasing traffic levels on Route 206. Current traffic counts show that there are about 22,000 cars per day traveling on Route 206. Roads with 25,000 to 30,000 cars per day are potential for expansion to a four-lane highway, he said.
   Community officials have made it clear they are not in favor of a Route 206 expansion to a four-lane highway in the township.
   Planning Board Chair Steve Sacks-Wilner said the township should look to choose uses for the parcel that would not increase traffic during peak times — for example, incorporating restaurants or hotels into the plan instead of "big box" stores, which are tremendous traffic generators.
   The township has received grants to fund the planning procedure for the tract, including a $105,000 grant from the state Department of Community Affairs and a $14,700 grant from Somerset County. In addition, Mr. Sacks-Wilner said, the township is in line for a $40,000 matching grant from the Transfer of Development Rights Bank Board.
   The full-fledged community planning workshop likely will be held in the coming months, said Mayor Wilson.