Sam Greco of West Windsor
I would like to echo the sentiments expressed in Peter and Helen Shriver’s letter to the editor concerning the rape of West Windsor by developers (The Packet, Feb. 29).
I moved to West Windsor in 1971 when my company relocated from New York City to Hopewell — when West Windsor was a sleeping farm community of blue-collar workers. There were about 250 commuters to NYC who parked across the street from the railroad station. I’m told that we now have 6,000 commuters.
The change has not been pleasant since driving in town is to be avoided during the commuter rush hours and our schools have been hemorrhaging by the inflow of commuters who find West Windsor a haven for their children to obtain a private school education at taxpayer’s expense. I have a condo in Florida where I spend most of the winter. My real estate taxes are $2,200/year — compared with $16,000/year on my West Windsor home of comparable real estate value. I have seen the homes in my development change several times since this has become a bedroom community from which people move out once their children are out of school and in which senior citizens become nonexistent.
My street is full of potholes and cracks. I was told it would be resurfaced this past summer — just like the other streets in my development — but am now told that they ran out of money. As you drive into the so-called center of town, by the Acme, it looks like a sewer. Yet our so-called town planners want to spend more money bringing in more commuters. Pretty soon it will look like New Brunswick.
The more West Windsor creates a haven to attract commuters, the more will come, and eventually West Windsor will become grid locked. If the town planners have any ability, they should concentrate their efforts to make the Acme area appealing and attract businesses like the PNC bank, which replaced Lucar Hardware.
Sam Greco
Hathaway Drive
West Windsor
