By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — A developer has outlined a concept plan for a 443-unit luxury rental apartment complex on the southern end of Canal Pointe Boulevard, between Farber Road and Emmons Drive, on land owned by the Princeton Theological Seminary.
Woodstone at Princeton would be built in partnership between Fieldstone Properties and Woodmont Properties, the West Windsor Township Planning Board was told earlier this month. A formal application may be filed early next year.
Meanwhile, attorney Henry Kent-Smith, who represents the applicant, said the proposed development would be sited on a 23-acre portion of the larger 68-acre tract. Of the 443 units, 89 would be set aside for affordable housing. The final count has not been determined, but there would be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.
Stephen Santola, executive vice president at Woodmont Properties, said the developer would have a 75-year ground lease from the Princeton Theological Seminary, and would pay property taxes on the apartment complex. At the end of the ground or land lease, the property would revert to the seminary.
The concept plan calls for 14 buildings to be scattered across the site, ranging from two-story buildings that include garages, to four-story buildings without garages. Overall, 800 parking spaces are proposed — including the garages.
Mr. Santola said the apartments would have 9-foot ceilings. It would be a pet-friendly development, with a dog park adjacent to the clubhouse. The clubhouse would include a fitness center, possibly with a golf simulator and room for small-group classes.
The apartment complex would draw a range of renters, from young to old, Mr. Santola said. There could be young families, he said. About 25 percent of the renters would be at least 55 years old, and 40 percent could be expected to be millennials — people born in the 1980s and 1990s.
When the meeting was opened to public comment, the issue of school children was quickly raised.
Superintendent of Schools David Aderhold said the new housing built by the Princeton Theological Seminary for its students has generated about 68 children. The proposed development could produce about 230 school-aged children, he said.
It becomes a “capacity issue,” Mr. Aderhold said. The Maurice Hawk Elementary School might need an expansion, if 80 of the 230 or so children enroll at the elementary school, he said. The Woodstone development is not the only one in the pipeline, he added.
Noting that she was speaking as an individual, and not as the West Windsor Township Council president, Linda Geevers agreed that the number of children who might be living in the Woodstone development is critical for the school district.
But there are other impacts, such as traffic, Ms. Geevers said. Township officials are waiting for an engineering study regarding a proposal to reduce Canal Pointe Boulevard from four lanes to two lanes plus a middle left-turn lane.
Planning Board Chairman Marvin Gardner acknowledged the questions that Mr. Aderhold and Ms. Geevers raised, such as the impact on the school district. But “under no circumstances” can a planning board deny an application on the basis of the number of students who might live in a proposed development or by the fiscal implications for school district property taxes, he said.
There could be considerable modifications to the plan that may entail a reduction in the number of units or the number of bedrooms, Mr. Gardner said, adding that “we all recognize this is a concept plan. I think it will be six months or more before you come back (with an application),” he told the applicant.
