West Windsor hears benefits of Smart Growth office endorsement

By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
   WEST WINDSOR — Dreams of infinite land and resources fueling sprawling development in New Jersey are myths, and New Jersey officials have decided that situation requires a coordinated statewide planning strategy.
   That was what the executive director of the New Jersey Office of Smart Growth, Ben Spinelli, said Monday before Township Council, while making a pitch for West Windsor to go through the agency’s endorsement process.
   The endorsement process involves state audits of a municipality’s planning, development and housing practices, which are then made to conform to the Smart Growth office’s statewide planning initiatives.
   Should West Windsor decide to undergo the process, there would be benefits, according to Mr. Spinelli.
   They would come in the form of prioritized state attention in planning and development projects, with an endorsed town getting first dibs on state funding for planning and transportation.
   Also, township development projects requiring review from state agencies, such as the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, would also receive expedited and streamlined attention.
   Mr. Spinelli said he recognized that the Princeton Junction train station made West Windsor’s planning decisions and increased assistance from the state crucial for the region.
   ”West Windsor has one of the busiest train stations in New Jersey,” said Mr. Spinelli. “The state needs to help West Windsor.”
   Councilwoman Heidi Kleinman said she had seen the Smart Growth endorsement presentation numerous times, and was a big supporter of the process.
   ”I support the endorsement process, and I think we are going to see that we will be able to comply,” said Ms. Kleinman. “But, there are other areas in which we could improve.”
   She said West Windsor was a leader in many planning issues.
   Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, who has a background in planning, said the endorsement process outlined by the Smart Growth officials was the future of planning coordination between municipalities in New Jersey.
   ”Eventually this will become a requirement for all municipalities,” said Mayor Hsueh. “That is the direction they are moving.”
   The lack of coordination is evident all over New Jersey, according to Mayor Hsueh, who pointed out the state’s roadway and traffic circulation problems as evidence.
   On display Monday was a planning map of New Jersey, which demonstrated to the audience how the Smart Growth office plans to channel development into some areas of the state, while preserving others.
   West Windsor Township sits in the urbanized areas surrounding Trenton, while the Pine Barrens and areas of northwest New Jersey are planned as oasises of conserved land, according to Mr. Spinelli.