By Eileen Oldfield Staff Writer
HILLSBOROUGH — Concerns about township plans for the town center including Hillsborough Elementary School led the Board of Education to request a presentation from Township Planner Robert Ringleheim on the town center project.
And after outlining the project during the board’s Oct. 20 meeting, Mr. Ringelheim assured the board members the school and its fate belongs to the Board of Education.
”The town has no interest in condemning the school or redeveloping it,” Mr. Ringleheim said at the meeting. “… There is no requirement to move the school, as long as the Board of Education deems necessary. If the board and a developer were to agree to move the school, that could proceed.”
The plans place Hillsborough Elementary School in the middle of the town center area, which could have private builders eyeing the land. Despite the plan to develop the area, Mr. Ringleheim said the Board of Education would determine what happens with the elementary school.
Creating the town center revolves around constructing the Route 206 bypass, a $110 million project that would begin at Old Somerville Road and end at Mountain View Road, and intends to eliminate “passing through” traffic on the road. Initially planned in 1999, the project went through several revisions before the Township Committee approved the plan in July 2007.
According to the plan, the town center would stretch from New Amwell Road to the Bottle King shopping center on Route 206, and would encompass parts of Amwell Road and Hamilton Road. Though separate projects, Mr. Ringleheim said completing the bypass was necessary to creating the town center, since the plan intends to reduce traffic on the road.
”Once the Route 206 bypass is constructed, there should be some jump start to the town center project,” Mr. Ringleheim said.
Though the project has no timeline currently, Mr. Ringleheim said, citing the economic conditions and problems acquiring land.
Mr. Ringleheim said the town center would mix retail shops, residential apartments, restaurants, and office space, with a certain number of residential units being required for each area of non-residential space. Mr. Ringleheim said the town could see between 300 and 400 apartment units from the construction, with approximately 45 percent of the units being studio or one-bedroom apartments, 55 percent of the units being two-bedroom apartments, and 10 percent of the units being three-bedroom apartments.
Despite the expected amount of two and three bedroom apartments, Mr. Ringleheim said a Rutgers University School of Public Planning study indicated the apartments did not generate an influx of school-age children.
But several board members wanted additional information about the plan, focusing on the plan’s timeline, cost and traffic concerns.
”I’m not sure how getting the bypass but building housing units to increase density would eliminate traffic,” Judy Haas said.
Ms. Haas also asked what the township planned regarding Hillsborough Elementary School.
”We have no plans,” Mr. Ringleheim said. “If a developer wanted to negotiate with the board regarding Hillsborough Elementary School, that’s between the board and the developer.”
Board member Steven Paget asked whether the township developed a timeline for the plan; Mr. Ringleheim the township expected the bypass project to start in 2009 or early 2010 depending on department of transportation funding, with the project taking three to four years to complete.
Board member Wolf Schneider asked how the number of potential students from the residential units would force the district to build a new school, and whether the district could nix bus transportation to the school.
Ms. Haas said, despite the anticipated traffic reduction, she did not think the intersections would be safe for elementary school children.
Mr. Ringleheim referenced the Rutgers’ study, noting that the township did not do its own study on population trends.
Board President Neil Hudes suggested running the anticipated number of additional residents as determined by the Rutgers study by the district’s demographer to see how the population trends could affect the students coming to the schools.
District Superintendent Edward Forsthoffer said enrollments are expected to remain level for the next few years, according to the district’s demographer. He noted that several developments in the town have families move in, which could increase the student population.
”We have already had some schools reach capacity for a specific grade level and I expect that in the next few years, some schools will reach the capacity we have established for them,” Dr. Forsthoffer said. “We will need to look at some minor redistricting and then a more large scale redistricting before we consider a major building project.”

