Planners get guidance on rezoning tract

By Vic Monaco, Managing Editor
   HIGHTSTOWN — The regional school district may not want future development of the former Minute Maid Plant to generate a lot of children but local officials cannot discriminate against families with kids.
   That was the message Monday night from borough planner Tamara Lee as the local Planning Board resumed discussions over rezoning the 16 acres of the 37-acre tract that lies in Hightstown.
   Ms. Lee pointed out, as a means of recapping what has happened since the board last discussed the issue in September, that officials of the East Windsor Regional School District testified at that time that a plan for 246 residential units would have a disruptive effect on the district.
   ”You can consider that,” she said, “but you can’t discriminate against families with children. That’s not the kind of issue you should be establishing your planning decisions around.”
   So, asked board Chairman Steve Misiura, how can planning for age-restricted groups such as seniors be acceptable?
   ”It’s determined there’s a need,” replied Ms. Lee.
   The Minute Maid tract of land — bordered by Mercer Street to the south, Summit Street to the east and East Windsor to the west — is zoned industrial in the borough and industrial office in East Windsor, where 21 acres lie. Borough leaders want to rezone the land for mixed use.
   A development group presented a conceptual plan in July for 246 condominiums and townhouses and 60,515 square feet of retail space on the 16 acres of land in the borough. Not only did school district leaders say the plan would overwhelm local classrooms but East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov blasted the developers for not sharing information with her.
   At Monday’s Planning Board meeting, members came to a consensus that they indeed want to place a limit on the number of residential units allowed on the property. But they did not talk specific numbers.
   Ms. Lee told the board that the parcel would allow for many different types of housing, and suggested more density near Route 33. She also cited a 1992 report from the Urban land Institute that concluded that three-to-four-bedroom townhouses and retail establishments are among the types of development that have a negative fiscal impact on communities, while industrial development, age-restricted housing, high-rise apartments and one-to-two bedroom townhouses and condos are among the land uses that have a positive impact.
   Board members seemed to agree that they would like to prohibit apartment buildings on the tract. There also was an apparent consensus on requiring developers to provide impact studies looking at such things as tax revenue and the generation of school-age children.