SOUTH BRUNSWICK – Editorial

   A plan to build a massive office and research complex on Route 27 in Franklin Township deserves our focused attention.
   The proposed Princeton Research Triangle would develop 15 million square-feet of office and research space on some 2,100 acres next to the Trap Rock quarry.
   While it is in the “very early” conceptual stage, the estimated $5 billion project would have a huge impact on the township and along both the Route 27 and 1 corridors.
   During the last two decades, South Brunswick has opposed projects like the Metroplex office plan on Route 1, the Route 92 proposal joining exit 8a of the New Jersey Turnpike with Route 1 via a 6.7 mile toll road through the township, and the NJ Transit Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex rail line that would have connected Lakehurst in Ocean County with the Northeast Corridor Line in Monmouth Junction.
   This new plan, while maybe a great ratable for Franklin Township, could prove to be worse for the community than those other three projects combined.
   According to a presentation of the proposal created by Princeton architect J. Robert Hillier, the facility would host some 40,000 researchers and another 10,000 support and administrative staff when completed in about 20 years.
   That number of people would add far too many vehicles on local roadways already in dire need of re-design to keep pace with the region’s growth.
   It would most likely put a huge drain and demand on South Brunswick police to keep traffic flowing on our side of Route 27 and also pack many cars down Route 522 to Route 1, which is already a nightmare during commuting hours.
   In the case of Metroplex, M-O-M and Route 92, the township was backed up to the wall several times as these projects gained momentum and support.
   It seemed at many different points that the community would lose to the larger interests involved and be saddled with the negative consequences of these ill-conceived projects.
   The community, however, rose to the occasion each time and worked very hard to make the planners see the error of their ways.
   It seems that once again there will be a call to action on behalf of the community to make sure this project is either moved to another location or stopped in its tracks.
   We understand this is just in the conceptual stage, but now is the time to begin a vigorous and rigorous examination of the plan.
   We must keep our eyes on this project and make sure we know where it is in every step of the process.
   Officials have said that there are many land use issues that must be resolved before there would be any movement on the plan, and even Mr. Hillier is expressing doubt about the plan’s feasibility given the traffic situation in the area.
   As time goes on, we cannot afford to let our attention to this slip, it is much too important to the community.