Parking garage could rise in Princeton Junction

Would replace town’s compost pile

By Greg Forester Staff Writer
       WEST WINDSOR — If the plans for the train station area come to fruition, a parking deck for township residents could rise on Alexander Road at the brownfield that is the current site of the township’s compost pile.
   Officials from the Parking Authority and the rest of the municipal government have already had discussions about using the Alexander Road eyesore for the resident parking garage, seeing a financial benefit in reduced environmental remediation costs.
   ”There is a cleanup cost for that site, depending on what you put there,” said Parking Authority Chairman Andy Lupo. “A parking deck would the cheapest thing to put on the compost site in terms of cleanup.”
   Representatives from RMJM Hillier — the architecture firm planning the redevelopment project — were in agreement with the township about the suitability of the compost site for a parking deck facility.
   ”It is generally considered a good fit to put parking on a previously contaminated site because of the degrees of cleanup needed, and the other part of the equation is the township’s ownership of the site,” said Bradley Walters of RMJM Hillier.
   The fact the township already owns the site doesn’t hurt either, because West Windsor wouldn’t have to pay for the land, or get into some sort of agreement with New Transit that would require spots for non-resident commuters, Mr. Walters said.
   ”Building it there reduces land-acquisition costs and gives the township more leeway on the ultimate operation of the facility than if it was owned by an entity like New Jersey Transit,” Mr. Walters said.
   Mr. Lupo said the Parking Authority is working with all of the entities involved in the redevelopment plan, but his organization plans on getting new parking decks at the busy train station whether the Hillier plans are used or not.
   The Parking Authority is being realistic about the redevelopment planning and making contingencies should the current plans fail to garner support in the community, according to Mr. Lupo.
   ”There is a reality that ultimately, after all the meetings and the planning, the government could still say no to the project,” said Mr. Lupo. “Whatever happens, we still feel that new parking decks are some of the first things that need to be built at the station.”
   The desperate need comes as the shortage of spaces gets worse and worse in the Parking Authority’s lots and the lots controlled by New Jersey Transit, with the transit entity controlling 75 percent of the total spots.
   ”Right now we have been telling people that the waiting time for a spot is around eight years,” said Mr. Lupo. “This means that people who signed up for a spot eight years ago are just receiving their spots, but there is really no crystal ball to determine when someone will give up their pass.”
   ”It could get longer,” he added.
   Of course the Parking Authority supports the construction of more lots for West Windsor residents, like the potential resident parking garage at the compost site.
   But residents should remember that many of their neighbors park in the New Jersey Transit lots, Mr. Lupo said.
   ”At the end of the day these are our neighbors and residents and no one wants to wait longer than they have to,” Mr. Lupo said. “The commute is the worst part of the day, and you have to try and satisfy the masses and make that part of the day better for everyone.”