Amended Master Plan called Skillman Village’s ‘starting point’

Montgomery board adopts a framework for redevelopment of former North Princeton Developmental Center

By: Jake Uitti
   MONTGOMERY — The Montgomery Planning Board took a major step Monday toward redevelopment of the former North Princeton Developmental Center, now called Skillman Village — although the board stressed that the move was just the first step of many to come.
   In an effort to keep the ball rolling for the 256.5-acre tract, soon to be under the ownership of Montgomery Township, the Planning Board voted unanimously to amend the township’s Master Plan to provide a "framework and guiding principles for the redevelopment of NPDC," according to Mayor Louise Wilson.
   "It is not a redevelopment plan," Mayor Wilson stressed. "It’s a starting point."
   Sale of the land from the state to the township should be completed by the end of this year, Planning Board officials said.
   In July, the Township Committee approved two bond ordinances totaling $22.5 million that would include the purchase of the state-owned property, which the New Jersey Department of Treasury agreed to sell to the township for $5.95 million. The balance would go toward environmental cleanup, the demolition of unusable on-site buildings, the purchase of environmental insurance, the design of a redevelopment plan for the property and an upgraded sewage-treatment plant.
   The NPDC site, originally a self-sustaining village for epileptics, has been closed since 1998. It includes Village Elementary School and more than 100 abandoned buildings, 33 of which have been designated as worthy of being saved, and possibly redeveloped, under the new, yet still tentative, redevelopment plan.
   Underscoring the site’s value, Brad Fay, the Van Harlingen Historical Society president, said, "There is no doubt" of the historical importance of the village.
   The importance of diligent consideration of the redevelopment plan was a common theme at Monday’s meeting. Township Committee and Planning Board member John Warms called the project "one of, if not the most important developments in this town’s history."
   The township still has hundreds of acres of preserved open space, and the residents who attended Monday’s meeting argued strongly for keeping it that way by preserving much of the NPDC site free from development.
   Several hot-button issues involved in the plan included the possibility of increased traffic, constructing and refurbishing three- to five-story residential buildings, protecting open space and — perhaps most important — safeguarding the integrity of existing residential neighborhoods.
   The first step to preserving open space is to preserve at least 140 acres of land, flood plains and waterways for open space and recreation within the 256.5 acres, said Richard Coppola, the Montgomery Township planner. This open space could be used for, as Mayor Wilson pointed out, "temporary structures," such as sculptures or equipment for town fairs.
   As to redevelopment and eventual construction, the plan states possible projects could be for cultural areas, such as a theater, an ice-skating rink or a museum, perhaps working in conjunction with the neighboring schools. Other possibilities are age-restricted housing; professional and medical facilities, including the possibility of a 24-hour hospital facility; retail stores and restaurants; offices; a retreat-type conference center; and a recreation facility such as a YMCA.
   Mayor Wilson said most of the traffic should come from the western side of the site, near Route 601, and that may be where more of the commercial establishments would be placed.
   Cyndy Kleinfield-Hayes of Global Communities of Support, an advocacy group for people with autism and other developmental disabilities, suggested at least part of the area be developed into housing for individuals with developmental disabilities. That way, she said, there would be no impact on traffic or on the schools. Montgomery Township is required to provide one unit of affordable housing per eight new units established, so housing for the disabled could meet these requirements, she said. The redevelopment proposal includes a 3.6-acre area for "alternative living arrangements" that presently includes a facility operated by the Eden Institute.
   A major point of contention at Monday’s meeting was a proposal to construct an access road from the site to Skillman Road. This road, Mr. Coppola said, would be used as a new point of entry and exit for the area, as well as to provide access for emergency use. The proposed road, however, met with a lot of criticism.
   Some Skillman Road residents said they were concerned that the road would cut through some 100 acres of preserved sod farmland. One resident said the road would destroy the "beautiful view of expansive green fields." Another Skillman Road resident, Emad Abou-Sabe, vice president of HACBM Architects Engineers Planners LLC, said, "I suspect that the access road will not survive. I believe in its use, just as I believe in this plan, but the road is not everything." HACBM prepared a concept plan for redevelopment of NPDC for the township.
   The discussion of the access road led to a broader issue of public input — or lack thereof. Several residents said their voices had not been heard during the planning process, which is why they flocked to Monday’s meeting. The residents numbered about 100, with some forced to stand in the hallway of the municipal building. The Planning Board responded to those concerns by keeping the floor open past the designated hour. Board members stressed there would be more opportunities for public discussion.
   Members of the board stressed the importance of mixed-use facilities so that whatever is developed is not isolated.
   "I think," Mayor Wilson said, "the emphasis on sustainability, in its various forms, was very important."
   Since the village was once a self-sustained community for epileptics, members of the Planning Board, including Mayor Wilson, said it should remain self-sustaining as much as possible. In fact, the village originally produced its own food and power on-site and even provided its own entertainment with a theater that still stands.
   Citing the site’s expansive open spaces, and its history of self-sustainability, Steven Sacks-Wilner, the Planning Board chairman, proposed that the planners look into solar and wind power so as to keep it "a model of sustainable development." Mr. Sacks-Wilner also stressed that the plan is only "a modest beginning," and as it gets more in-depth "by introducing ordinances down the road," more precise plans will evolve.
   The board, as well as Mr. Coppola, emphasized that the plan is a framework of guidelines within which the township can work with developers to begin to define and hone — and redefine — the eventual future of Skillman Village.
   Another point, raised by resident Valerie Smith, a member of the Citizens’ Committee for NPDC, was the name of the site.
   "Skillman Village," Ms. Smith argued, "is not a name which brings the Montgomery people together." Ms. Smith proposed that the Planning Board consider changing the name to "something more collaborative for Montgomery Township. We have Belle Mead, Skillman and Princeton," she argued, "and this property is in the heart of our whole community."
   Some residents, including Mohamed Kilany of Spring Hill Road, said the plan should not have been voted on at all on Monday. Mr. Coppola, however, countered that the vote was appropriate.
   "We don’t know the traffic patterns," he said, "because we don’t know the uses yet of the area. That is why we need to move ahead with this plan — even though it is not a final plan of anything. This plan, however, will facilitate a final plan much further down the road."
   Township Open Space Committee Chairman Clem Fiori said the draft was a "great start." He continued, "I was on the visualizing group of 30 who worked on this plan in the summer. We do need more input from the residents. But until we start shopping it around to developers, we won’t know exactly what is possible. I am sure the plan will end up differently than it started out, but I do believe in it. I have a good feeling about it."
   A point on which nearly everyone agreed was the need for ratables, primarily in the form of businesses and age-restricted housing that would pay their share of property taxes while not contributing children to the school system.
   One of the final issues discussed Monday was an abandoned power plant, in particular contaminants left around the plant. Responding to one resident’s concern that the powerhouse site could contain environmental hazards, Mr. Warms said, "Everything will be cleaned up to DEP standards."
   Furthermore, Mr. Warms added, "In this document are some things we all agree on, and some we do not. No matter what, though, the developers that come in will not dictate to us what we do with our land. Nothing, not one thing here, is immutably carved in granite."
   The plan was approved four hours after the meeting began, to a room much less crowded than when the meeting began.
   Mr. Sacks-Wilner lauded the citizen turnout. "The people who came out didn’t question the overall concept of the plan, their main objections were over what would happen in their backyards," he said.
   "There will be plenty of opportunity for the public and the board to add further input," Mr. Sacks-Wilner added. "This is just a beginning."