Village proposal for Dayton is too big for its proposed site.
Russell Richardson says he plans to develop his 25-acre parcel in Dayton adjacent to the Fresh Ponds Village apartment complex.
The only question is how.
Mr. Richardson is proposing a new "village zone" that would allow high-density residential and retail on the property a new use that he says will resemble the new downtown village being constructed in Plainsboro and that he believes is the best use of the property.
The 240 rental units he envisions would be scattered among two- and three-story apartment buildings, with some apartments located above storefront shops that would be built along a new "Main Street" that would enter the village from Route 522.
The alternative, he says, is a 350,000-square-foot office building with 1,200 parking spaces which he says already is allowed under the zoning.
An office building of this size, while compatible with some of the surrounding properties, would have far too great an impact on the residential properties in the area especially those along Griggs Drive and in the adjacent Summerfield residential development.
Mr. Richardson’s mixed-use alternative is not much better. It is far too dense and would increase pressure on township services schools and parks, for instance in a way that an office building would not.
It shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand, however. A scaled-down version of the proposal say 60 to 80 rental units and retail that incorporates dedicated open space and significantly increased buffers along Griggs Drive and Summerfield could make sense.
Mr. Richardson’s plan is not going away, so we can only hope that both sides in this discussion are open to compromise and something can be proposed that is in keeping with the surrounding neighborhoods.