John Koran of West Windsor
After attending the West Windsor council’s review of Goldin’s plan for redevelopment at the train station, it felt like "déjà vu all over again."
Planning board consultant John Madden’s and traffic/circulation consultant Gary Davies’ joint evaluation of Goldin’s plan showed significant similarities to Hillier’s. Mr. Davies showed how a system of neglected roads and intersections would converge on the train station creating future gridlock with crisscrossing roadways, transit drop-off sites, Dinky lines, and BRT loops making congestion even worse than it is now.
Traffic feeding the station and traffic feeding the office complexes near Route 1 have never been separated out so that they could be addressed in a realistic way. The east-side connector, Route 1 in a cut, and Meadow Road’s completion have yet to be factored in. Superimposing further density on this area makes little sense.
Mr. Madden led us through a mish-mash of land use and ownership issues that grew out of a site whose primary purpose is a train station. Brownfield clean-up sites, Amtrak property, environmentally sensitive land, grade-related crossing issues, an electrical substation, and private land ownership all combine to demand creative solutions.
It is not apparent how changing zoning to increase housing, office and retail will address the specific needs of this site and improve quality of life for commuters and those in the surrounding communities. This site existed as a train terminal for years and nothing more for a reason. People want to get in and get out of a point of arrival and departure.
The surrounding wetlands, with their various ecosystems and buffers, apparently will become collateral damage if the edges of future development push into their space.
I am aware that the time for the argument over whether this is the right site for a town center has passed; however, I think it is fair to conclude that the scale of development is too large for this site. I suggest that the consultants consider a plan to "improve" and keep the current train station as a train station only, making ingress and egress top priority, segregating station traffic from through traffic and limiting parking solutions to providing spots for West Windsor residents only.
I also suggest separating out the housing/office/retail elements and finding them a site further down the track, possibly on the Wyeth tract.
It is frustrating to watch the mayor and council passively accept yet another offering of evidence by our consultants that, whether designed by an independent firm, such as InterCap, or one contracted by the township, such as Hillier, the results are the same. And that result is that a massive transit village doesn’t fit and won’t work on this site.
Isn’t it the definition of insanity to keep asking the same question and expect a different answer? It seems that this administration is intent on asking the residents the same question until they get the answer they want.
John Koran
West Windsor

