By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — After an open house displaying draft redevelopment plans drew a modest crowd and mixed reviews, the West Windsor Township Council will discuss the plan at a special meeting 7 p.m. tonight at Grover Middle School.
However, it already has a major opponent in Intercap Holdings Chairman Steve Goldin, whose company owns a critical 25-acre plot off Washington Road. The plan is not viable unless the amount of housing is increased significantly, he said.
Mr. Goldin wrote a letter to Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh and council saying the plan “does not make sense from a sound planning, financial or public process point of view.”
The letter, dated Friday, says at least 400 housing units are needed to make the plan viable, but the current draft plan provides for only 130 housing units, the letter says. If council accepts the plan in its current state, Intercap will not redevelop its property, it says.
At the request of council, the RMJM Hillier firm last week gave the township a draft redevelopment plan for the 350-acre area around the Princeton Junction train station. Representatives from the firm will give a PowerPoint presentation of the plans tonight.
The council instructed the firm last month to immediately synthesize a draft redevelopment plan after council members scrapped plans for another review session.
Mr. Goldin will be at the meeting tonight, he said, and he will speak during public comment.
”Hillier has put together their recommendation, but what shape that takes now is in the hands of the council,” he said.
He is confident the public will accept modifications to the plan that call for more housing, he added.
”Our plan does reflect what people wanted because it reflects the input of all those months of public meetings,” he said.
Council chambers were open to the public all day Friday to allow residents to see the plan. Six large maps were on display and packets of information were available.
Council President Charles Morgan, who was in the council chambers nearly all day to greet people who came to see the plans, said about 50 people came in total, with most arriving in the evening.
”There were two very firm sets of convictions,” he said. “One was, ‘Let’s go forward and stop messing around,’ and the other was, ‘This is crazy; this is something we don’t want.’ “
Mr. Morgan said he had a lot of questions to ask Hillier about the plan. On a map, he pointed out plans for a road connected to Bear Brook Road, saying council had previously decided it should not be built in order to protect nearby residents. In addition, a building was drawn on the plans on the site where a Starbucks and Rite Aide are already set to be built.
”It’s like Hillier did this without paying attention to what’s going on,” he said.
Mayor Hsueh said the draft plan provides a “starting point,” and further discussions with council, the Planning Board and the public need to be held.
”The detailed analysis will have to come when we move to the next phase,” he said.
West Windsor resident Jennifer Macleod stopped by Friday morning to view the plans. A resident since 1959, she said she would like to see development progress.
”My hope all along has been that there be a real town center,” she said.
As part of this plan, it is “obvious” that more housing would be needed, she said. Ultimately, she added, she would like a town center she could live in and be independent without a car as she grows older.
”That would be ideal,” she said.
Councilwoman Linda Geevers was also on hand Friday to discuss the plans.
”I think people want to move forward with redevelopment if it’s done on a moderate scale and scope,” she said.
The draft plan can be accessed on the township’s Web site, www.westwindsornj.org.

