West Windsor - Redevelopment - September 07 updated

The West Windsor Township Council and Planning Board held a joint public meeting on September 19 to discuss the redevelopment plan for the 350-acre area surrounding the Princeton Junction Train Station. The meeting, which was the first joint session since last June, showed that the two bodies are still very far apart in their vision for the project.

The majority of the Township Council supports a redevelopment plan that includes only additional parking, a Main Street along Route 571, and traffic improvements. They believe any further plans, including a transit village, should be studied at a later date. The Planning Board, however, argues that any improvements to the area would be difficult to achieve without a larger plan including housing and other development that would make the project attractive to developers. Few decisions were made at the meeting bringing the plan to a halt once again.

The Township Council is expected to continue its discussions on the plan at future meetings. In order to move the process forward, they need to decide whether to authorize additional funding for redevelopment, what the size and scope of the project will be, and whether it wants to send the plan immediately to the planning board for review, or hold several educational meetings on traffic and finance first. When (and if) these decisions will be made remains to be seen.