Residents voiced concerns over the proposed transit village and train station being contemplated for Route 1 in North Brunswick during a public input session Feb. 18 at North Brunswick Township High School, citing traffic and quality of life as major areas of concern.
The issue came to light again recently because the North Brunswick Township Council is considering a new zoning ordinance that would make site development on the former Johnson & Johnson property contingent upon North Brunswick TOD Associates’ agreement to fund roadway improvements to Route 1, Aaron Road, Adams Lane, Cozzens Lane, Finnegans Lane and Commerce Boulevard, as well as neighborhood roads.
The Transit Oriented Mixed Use Development zoning ordinance would allow for 1.2 million square feet of mixed-use zoning on the property, while adding in requirements for sustainability, mixed-use buildings, energy efficiency, pedestrian-oriented designs, reserved parking for electric cars and hybrids, shared parking, and mandatory rainwater capturing and reuse.
The final build phase by TOD would include the construction of a train station and a park-and-ride facility and would require additional roadwork if a train station were approved by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT).
Michael Hritz, director of Community Development, noted that the layout brought forth by TOD is merely a conceptual plan, and that although the ordinance adopts standards and square footage, the developer is still required to go before the Planning Board for site plan approval, which would involve additional discussions and possible amendments.
However, residents did not seem convinced that the proposed traffic improvements would make the area any easier to travel, especially since the phase one buildout can be completed prior to the approval of a train station.
Although S. Maurice Rached, director of transportation services for Maser Consulting, said that a change in the traffic volume on surrounding streets such as Cozzens Lane and Arlington Road would be “negligible,” resident Jane Miller retorted, “Frankly, I do not believe you that it will be negligible. … It will change the whole picture of the area.”
Resident Damian Scialabba said the township should be able to hold off on allowing construction until after the improvements are made, to make sure that the roadway project is successful. He said the developer should have to seek approval from the county and DOT first and then come to North Brunswick to seek a zoning change.
“If we do it the other way, it’s already done and there’s no way to undo it,” he said.
However, Township Planner Thomas Vigna said, “It is the zoning that makes the project for real,” since the transit village acts as an incentive for DOT to place local highway improvements at the top of their priority list.
Also, Councilman Robert Davis said that if nothing is done at all, the roads will continue to decline.
“Having the internal roads we discussed improved, plus DOT [putting North Brunswick on a priority list], plus seeing $8 million for the developers [to fund improvements] … if we didn’t do anything with TOD and with Prestige, the traffic would get worse.”
“The number-one thing discussed was traffic is bad, traffic is horrible, during certain peak periods … and certain traffic studies show it’s going to get worse,” added Vigna. “This project is the answer to many of our traffic problems. It’s not going to exacerbate it.”
Scialabba disagreed, saying, “[The developer] is doing this because they think it will be profitable for North Brunswick. They’re not doing this because they love North Brunswick.”
Another issue discussed was the allowance for two one-story freestanding large retail establishments, such as a Lowe’s or a Costco. There can also be two large retail establishments that would have two to four floors of residential spaces above the retail component. This facet was not originally planned during the initial discussions five years ago.
Points were made that no one will come off a train to shop at a proposed Kohl’s or Lowe’s, and that bike riders and walkers would have trouble with large packages, meaning that people would be forced to drive to the stores, even if they live within the transit village residences.
“It’s a beautiful piece of land, a beautiful vision of what it’s going to look like — now you’re going to have a big-box store sitting right out in front of it,” resident Pete Maimone said. “[TOD] sold us on how this is going to be a model for development, but how is it a model for development if it’s a big-box store?”
“This is not what we saw four years ago. This is a shopping center,” agreed resident Andrew Besold. “It will not have a synergy that will create that walkable place that we were [encouraging] four years ago. … This entire plan is concerned more with the movement of automobiles than with the movement of walkable people.”
Councilman Ralph Andrews said that there would in fact be streetscapes, walkable paths, pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes.
Yet Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack said that although the council did not want the big-box component, the economy is a factor.
“If we can get the right kind of box, the right mix, then we have to consider it,” he said.
Resident Frank Puleio also mentioned that several other shopping areas in town currently have vacancies, and that those areas should be taken care of first.
“Do we not have an obligation to make sure what we have in town now is viable?” he asked. “Let’s not be enamored with an $8 million donation from a developer with deep pockets.”
Related to quality of life, concerns were raised about the 300 residences in phase one and the hundreds more planned for phase two, and the impact more schoolchildren would have on the school district.
Womack said the school district would have to decide if renovations or new construction would be needed. He did not deny that more schoolchildren could result, but it was brought up that loftstyle units could attract more young professionals or empty nesters.
On the other hand, some local residents are in favor of the project, having faith that traffic will improve and make the site viable.
“It’s 2010. North Brunswick is not what it used to be, it ain’t gonna be what it used to be. … We have an area of 200 acres — it’s dormant. Johnson & Johnson is not going to come back,” said 31-year resident Charles Theokas. “I am retired. My wife is retired. I could go to South Carolina but I choose to stay and hassle Route 1. I understand Route 1. … It is the year 2010 and we have to think differently. You have to be in it to win it. … We have to support the people who [represent] us … to stop the bleeding, get some ratables in here, and let’s have some fun.”
Paul Josephson, of Princeton, said that he has driven Route 1 through North Brunswick and feels the locals’ pain, and thus believes the proposed improvements would be advantageous.
“There are sites like this around the state … that companies have left. The manufacturing is not here. … North Brunswick has a tremendous opportunity because of the Northeast Corridor Line, and at the end of the day, from a regional perspective of someone who lives in Princeton … getting that train station is hopefully, in my mind, where all of you should be hoping to God. … The fact of the matter is, the economy has changed 180 degrees, and the economy we had five years ago is not the economy we have today.”
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