By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — Township Council on Tuesday agreed to ask its consultants to review an August redevelopment memo prepared by RMJM Hillier on the train station area and report back at its March 7 meeting.
The report, March 7, is expected to help the council decide how to proceed on the controversial redevelopment plan.
During discussion Tuesday, council members voiced optimism regarding their ability to move forward with the planning process.
They said good progress had been made on many of the items in the August memo advising the township on how to move forward with redevelopment. The memo has become a significant part of the council’s plans to move forward in the creation of a plan for the 350-acre redevelopment zone around the Princeton Junction train station.
”Many of the items in this memorandum have been completed already,” said Councilwoman Heidi Kleinman. “The Planning Board’s resolution is really not a monumental change to me,” she said, referring to the recent decision by the board to turn the planning process back to the council.
The Hillier memo maps out roles and responsibilities for implementing the recommendations and wishes made by various township officials and citizens through the summer of 2007, prior to the council’s handing over of redevelopment planning duties to the Planning Board.
The document said that township consultants — including planner John Madden and traffic expert Gary Davies — should review and refine planning work done by Hillier, at which point the township would hold public meetings to get further input, to eventually yield a redevelopment plan.
The resurrection of the Hillier memo comes after Mr. Madden and others last week said that they felt the best avenue to yield a redevelopment plan would involve the Township Council engaging Hillier officials, reviewing plans, and refining them.
That discussion preceded last week’s split Planning Board vote to send the planning work back to council, after board members cited micromanagement and interference in the board’s work in the form of numerous memos and resolutions.
Council President William Anklowitz said the council needed to get together as a whole and reach consensus on what was needed in the plan, before meeting with Hillier.
”I want council to sit down with the plan, pick what they like, and get on with this,” Mr. Anklowitz said.
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said it was crucial for township officials to work together and avoid adding controversy onto what had been an already contentious process.
He agreed with Mr. Anklowitz’s emphasis on council coming together on a joint strategy for the planning.
”We need to reach a mutual understanding before meeting with Hillier,” Mayor Hsueh said.
Part of the mayor’s emphasis on working together and mutual understanding called for Planning Board involvement on the council’s work, but council members seemed to take offense to that notion.
”The Planning Board invited themselves out of this process,” said Mr. Anklowitz. “Under the redevelopment statute they will be asked to review the plan later anyway.”
Council members said they were pleased with plans for township consultants to review a $180,000 traffic study funded by private landowner Steve Goldin in the process, saving taxpayer dollars.
Ms. Kleinman said she could not develop any conclusions about the redevelopment planning until getting input on traffic, infrastructure and housing implications of potential redevelopment plans from consultants.
