Upscale Montgomery Promenade planned for 50-acre site north of Princeton Airport
By: Jake Uitti
MONTGOMERY The traffic signals at Route 206 and Benjamin Boulevard the road leading into the Princeton North Shopping Center are standing ready to be activated, with only a thin covering laid over the lights indicating their inactivity.
According to Township Engineer Gail Smith, Montgomery is waiting for the state to do some final inspections to the intersection before turning the signals on. Once the inspections are concluded, assuming everything is in order, the signals would be activated on a Monday most likely Oct. 16.
Once they are turned on, the signals are meant to better regulate traffic coming in and out of the Princeton North Shopping Center on the often-congested Route 206 corridor.
But when the large-scale shopping center known as Montgomery Promenade is developed, the signal will also serve to regulate the traffic entering and exiting the new high-end outdoor "lifestyle" retail facility across Route 206 from the Princeton North Shopping Center.
Madison Marquette, the firm developing Montgomery Promenade, Ms. Smith said, would have to do further upgrades to the intersection once the facility is built.
The pedestrian-oriented Montgomery Promenade is being planned for the 50-acre area north of the Princeton Airport. The company hopes to break ground this year with a target completion date of spring 2008.
The plans still require Planning Board approval, Planning Board Chairman Steven Sacks-Wilner said.
Jay Lask, managing director of investments for Madison Marquette, said Montgomery Promenade is part of a new wave of shopping centers in the state.
"Gone are the days of strip centers and giant enclosed malls New Jersey’s retail landscape is about to change," Mr. Lask wrote in an article published in the September-October edition of the NJPA Real Estate Journal. "In the next five years, the New Jersey shopper will find their favorite store nestled among large oak trees and beautifully landscaped gardens."
These sorts of projects, Mr. Lask noted, are called "town center developments."
"New Jersey is particularly ripe for these developments," Mr. Lask explained, "because of demographic shifts, strong community support and high retailer demand."
Town center projects, he said, are often a mix of retail, entertainment, residential and office uses.
"Their dominating feature is a pedestrian-friendly environment and the mixed-uses are defined by the needs of the community," Mr. Lask said.
"In New Jersey, town centers are particularly appealing because many communities sprouted up as commuter destinations with no real core business district," he said.
In the article, Mr. Lask cites the proposed 340,000-square- foot Montgomery Promenade specifically, saying, "In Montgomery Township, Madison Marquette is building one of the first Town Center developments in the state."
Town center developments, he added, are often less expensive to build than enclosed malls and on average generate 20 percent higher sales per square foot while having lower operating costs.
Madison Marquette already has experience in the area; it also owns MarketFair shopping center in West Windsor.
Some concerns have been raised in recent Township Committee meetings, however, about the impact Montgomery Promenade will have on the township, with some members of the public asserting that the site will increase traffic in an already congested area.
Mayor Louise Wilson said township officials expect a lot of the traffic generated by Montgomery Promenade to be "off-peak, as opposed to office uses where traffic impact is heavily rush hour." In addition, the development should have a positive affect on property taxes, she said.
Ms. Smith said the proposal includes construction of a Master Plan loop road, something township officials believe will help alleviate traffic at the busy intersection of Routes 206 and 518.
Madison Marquette’s Web site for Montgomery Promenade is www.shopmontgomerypromenade.com.

