GUEST OPINIONSteven E. Goldin
The charrette process, directed by Hillier Architecture, offered some new ideas and stirred some good discussion about our community and the future of the redevelopment area. But, with so much proposed and so little time to digest it, public discussion digressed into a confusing process that left us where we are now: still sitting at the starting line.
It has become clear that residents need more time and opportunity to review and comment on plans for the redevelopment area. Therefore, InterCap Holdings has proposed funding a town-led comprehensive community outreach process to help create the public consensus that is needed to move forward.
Our company has proposed to fund community-wide planning workshops, so the people of West Windsor are given a true say in what they believe is the right way for the town to address the opportunities and the challenges in the redevelopment area. To be successful the process should not be about telling you what should be built; it is about you deciding what is best for West Windsor.
This process would be community-driven, not developer-driven. While InterCap Holdings could fund the process we would not have a vote in its outcome.
This effort should and needs to be steered by an independent citizens’ committee, comprising the Mayor, members of the Township Council, the Planning Board, the Princeton Junction Neighborhood Coalition, the West Windsor Farmers Market, the West Windsor Arts Council, local youth athletic leagues and other key local groups.
People ask "What would be different about the process this time?" First and foremost, the independent citizen’s committee should agree upon and select the consultants who will lead the process. A second round of community planning meetings would be more expensive because it is clear that the consultants would need to devote more time to the process. These professionals would spend several months conducting interviews with key stakeholder groups, followed by educational workshops on specific topics (e.g. parking, traffic, open space, schools, etc) which would be open to all to attend.
The Community Planning Workshop could be preceded by bus tours to Maryland, Washington and Virginia, where there are many outstanding examples of development that may be suitable for West Windsor.
The Community Planning Workshop should be held over a seven day period, as has been called for by the Princeton Junction Neighborhood Coalition, to maximize community participation.
New technologies could be used to gain instant feedback from residents. For instance, at the workshop’s opening event, every audience member could be given a handheld electronic device and as slides are shown of images from around the country and the world, participants could express their likes and dislikes, with results instantly visible to everyone.
The economic benefits to West Windsor should be discussed early in the process, rather than at the end. Traffic impacts could be visually displayed with simulation software, so people can actually see traffic volumes moving (or slowing down) as development scenarios are varied.
The meetings should be held in a comfortable venue with good acoustics with only eight people at a table and a planner and a draftsman assigned to each table. That means there would likely be 100 planners and draftsmen in attendance, rather than the 25 or so that attended the Hillier charrettes.
Finally, on the last day of the planning workshop, the consultants should produce a 2-3 minute photorealistic video of what the redevelopment area would look like upon implementation.
This effort needs to be coupled with a phenomenal website with interactive capabilities, extensive community surveys before, during and after the planning workshop and a major communications program to keep the community informed at every step. These are some examples of how we can do it better, together, in a manner that is unprecedented in New Jersey.
To ensure an independent process, our financial contribution would be placed in escrow with the Township; West Windsor municipal officials would have full and sole control over those funds and the professionals it chooses to hire. These professionals would be in contract with the Township, not InterCap.
We are confident that with the right technological tools to help the public visualize the alternatives, and a thorough case study approach to economic benefits and costs, West Windsor residents would have the tools they need to make fully informed decisions.
I believe that our elected officials sincerely want to do what the majority of residents desire. They want to hear from you and welcome your input, as do I. You can reach them via e-mail at this address: http://www.westwindsornj.org/council_members.html. Please let them know if you support this approach for a community planning process or if you have suggestions on how to make it better.
I also urge you to learn more about InterCap Holdings by logging onto our website at www.InterCapHoldings.com. I look forward to meeting with as many of you as possible in the coming weeks and urge you to contact us to arrange a meeting with your group or organization.
Steven E. Goldin is chairman and CEO of InterCap Holdings in Princeton and a West Windsor property owner.