Plainsboro planners recommend old FMC site as area in need of redevelopment
By Greg Forester
Staff Writer
PLAINSBORO — The Township Committee on Sept. 10 will consider a resolution officially designating the future site of the University Medical Center at Princeton as an area in need of redevelopment.
The designation was unanimously recommended by Plainsboro’s planning board last week, after a presentation by Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates. The firm’s investigation found that the FMC property — off Plainsboro Road and Route 1 —does meet the criteria of New Jersey redevelopment laws.
”If you take the site as a whole, it will clearly meet the requirements of the statute,” said Planning Board member Tom Hall. “There is no incentive at all for the current landowner to bring the obsolete buildings on the site up to modern standards.”
Using the redevelopment statutes would strengthen the township’s ability to ensure the interests of the community were taken into consideration during the hospital’s move, especially concerning the financial and housing impacts of the project, township officials said.
The $350 million medical facility planned for completion in 2010 will be almost twice the size of the current University Medical Center at Princeton, and will boast additional medical offices and some residential development.
Mr. Hall said the current condition of the site also demonstrated some environmental concerns with the proximity of the buildings to the Millstone River.
”Currently several of the buildings lie within the floodplain of the Millstone,” said Mr. Hall. “It’s a substantial environmental problem.”
Mayor Peter Cantu outlined the next steps in the process, requiring more back and forth action between the Planning Board and Township Committee as the redevelopment planning for the FMC site progressed.
”If in fact the Township Committee accepts the Planning Board’s recommendation then there would be two actions taken,” said Mayor Peter Cantu. “One would be to designate the area as in need of redevelopment, and the other would be to charge the Planning Board with coming up for a redevelopment plan for the site.”
Hospital officials said the process was to be expected, considering Plainsboro’s long-expressed wish to reuse the site in some meaningful way.
”I think they have been looking at the site for a number of years to utilize the land use laws of the state to create a property that would best suit the needs of Plainsboro,” said hospital spokeswoman Pam Hersh.
Plainsboro officials said there would be ample opportunity for public input as the process moves forward.
”There will be substantial public hearings throughout the process with opportunities to review the Planning Board’s conclusions,” said Mayor Cantu. “We were always concerned that, if this did go through a redevelopment process different than the normal township planning process, would there be opportunities for public input?”
Planning Board Member Patricia Hullfish said, “I think it’s going to be a really interesting and challenging process. It’s very different from anything we have ever done.”

