Jones Lang LaSalle


Office plan gets review
Klockner Road traffic a concern
Monday, February 20, 2006
By ANDREW KITCHENMAN
Staff Writer

HAMILTON -- A proposed office complex on Klockner Road near Route 130 would add 3 percent more traffic to nearby intersections, the township zoning board was told at its meeting Thursday.

The 300,000-square-foot complex proposed by Princeton Borough developer Bill King would include four buildings, ranging from three stories to five stories, with the tallest building 79 feet high.

The road into the Waterview Center Office Park would meet Klockner at the same intersection as Horizon Drive. A traffic light is planned.

Engineer Nicholas Verderese estimated that 452 vehicles would enter the complex during the peak morning rush hour and 415 would leave during the peak evening hour.

Verderese said traffic would increase by 3 percent at Horizon Drive's intersection with Route 130 and a similar amount at Klockner Road's intersection with Route 130.

Zoning board Chairman Joseph J. Weber expressed concern about the impact the traffic would have on residents near the development. He noted that the turn from Horizon Drive onto Route 130 already is backed up.

Weber, however, described the proposal as "well-thought-out, well-planned."

King, who built the Carnegie Center offices, said the 48.5-acre site was an attractive location for offices because development is growing south, away from the heavily built Route 1 Corridor.
King also said he wanted to build offices that would be environmentally friendly.

"I'm sensitive to the environment and to the blend of the natural and the architecturally developed areas," King said.

The buildings would have red-brick exteriors with a modified "L" shape and a central rotunda at the entrance.

Offices are allowed in the zone where the development is proposed. However, the plan must be approved by the zoning board because it differs from several zoning rules.

The height of the buildings is taller than the 45-foot limit allowed and 200 fewer parking spaces are planned than are required, among other differences.

Edward N. Rothe, King's architect, said building heights would create more visibility and interest in the project, which he said would be the "most upscale" of any in the area, which includes Hamilton Marketplace.

In the first phase of the plan, two three-story 60,000-square-foot buildings would be built. In the second phase, a four-story 80,000-square-foot building and a five-story 100,000-square-foot building would be built. The plan includes walking paths and an amphitheater for lunchtime concerts.

King said he had two major corporate tenants lined up for the buildings.
Other projects have been proposed for the area, including a Hilton hotel and a mixed-use complex with 324 age-restricted homes and two offices. A special meeting on the hotel will be held the Feb. 28 and the mixed-use complex, which originally was scheduled for Thursday, will have a public hearing on March 14.
No action was taken on the King plan, which the board will review again at the March 14 meeting.

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Contact Andrew Kitchenman at akitchenman@njtimes.com or at (609) 989-5706.