Jones Lang LaSalle
Growth plan for Route 130
Rail line may be track to redevelopment in Washington Twp.
Monday, May 15, 2006
By ANDREW KITCHENMAN
Staff Writer
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP -- When the Camden and Amboy Railroad was built in the early 1830s, it sparked modern growth in an area that later became Mercer County's Washington Township.
As Conrail prepares to abandon those tracks 175 years later, the move could fuel another burst of economic growth here.
Mayor David Fried hopes to remake the main stretch of Route 130 between the intersections at Route 33 in Robbinsville and Church Street in the village of Windsor.
The property along Route 130 is less developed as it cuts through the center of the township than it is to the south, with the Hamilton Marketplace, and to the north, where there is commercial development in East Windsor.
Two things have blocked commercial development along the highway: wetlands on the northbound side and the Conrail railroad tracks on the southbound side.
While the township must work around the wetlands, Conrail is proposing to abandon the section of its tracks in the township.
Fried now is preparing to declare Route 130 an "area in need of redevelopment," a designation that would allow the township latitude in preparing a new plan for the road, including possible eminent domain powers.
"The biggest challenge has always been the railroad tracks," Fried said.
Among the properties on the stretch of Route 130 are small motels and former industrial sites. Fried said a significant portion of the crimes in the township occur in that area.
The redevelopment plans are at an early stage. Township Administrator Mary Caffrey said the township council would oversee the redevelopment and appoint a planner to develop a plan for the area.
The planner would look at such factors as who owns which properties and what potential the land would have if properties were combined. The township could have a single developer oversee the development or several developers could work together.
-- -- --
Fried said the township would aim for a mix of uses in the zone, including offices and retail space. But he said the township would want to maintain a feel different from the larger commercial developments in Hamilton and East Windsor.
"We want people to know they're in Washington Township," Fried said.
Caffrey said the township also could target science laboratories and biotechnology firms. "We really would be a natural for that kind of use," she said, noting that labs have little traffic impact because they have few employees.
The township's long-dormant economic development committee has been reformed and has discussed the area.
Officials see redeveloping Route 130 as essential to expanding the township's tax base -- and cutting increases in the property taxes paid by homeowners in the township, where the average tax bill will be more than $8,000 this year.
History is tied to both the highway, once known as the Bordentown and South Amboy Turnpike, and the rail line, which as the Camden and Amboy Railroad was first in the state.
But the rails haven't been used in more than 10 years and Conrail doesn't see a future for industrial uses in the township, said Conrail lawyer John K. Enright.
Conrail expects to file a plan with the national Surface Transportation Board to abandon the tracks in June and expects a response by the end of August, Enright said. Conrail then would contact neighboring landowners to see if they want to buy pieces of the property, he said.
-- -- --
Some business owners along the highway seem excited about the prospect of a new look for the area, but they are eager to learn more details.
Chris Ciaccio, owner of Tony's Farm & Garden Center, said she supports the township's plans, noting that the highway hasn't changed in the past 25 years.
"Right now, it's a diamond in the rough, but I think we can make it sparkle," Ciaccio said.
While her business has been successful and would benefit from nearby development, Ciaccio said her family also could consider selling as part of the redevelopment. "We're open to different options," she said.
On the southbound side of Route 130, the six-room Oakwood Motel is the kind of business that may not last if redevelopment occurs.
Owner Joseph Celauro said he has been approached by real estate agents looking to buy the business, which he has operated since 1976.
He said he is keeping an eye on the township's plans for the area and referred to the New London, Conn., case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that governments can legally take properties to enable private economic development.
"As soon as that eminent domain passed with the Supreme Court, I got very nervous," said Celauro.
While Celauro sees room for improvement in the area and believes eliminating the rail line could help, he also said, "I want to sell it when I want to sell it."
Fried said condemning land is not the township's first choice but noted that raising the possibility of condemnation was useful in the effort to preserve the Updike and Herman farms near Windsor.
-- -- --
A redevelopment zone has proven controversial at the NJ Transit station in Hamilton. But officials here said they want to work closely with property owners and neighbors of the possible redevelopment zone.
At the township council meeting Thursday, Christopher Hanlon, who is working on the plan, told the council that "bland, technical notice can scare people." He added that the township should assure residents it can be "a two-way, transparent process."
The council also discussed a situation in Lodi where residents of two trailer parks scored a court victory to prevent their homes from being taken through eminent domain so a gated, mixed-use senior community could be built. Borough officials there plan to appeal the decision.
Caffrey advised the council it would be "better to take more time on the front end because you pay more for it in court on the back end."
In the past, township officials said that if Conrail were to abandon the tracks, they would be a potential site for "rails to trails," a program in which old rail lines become hiking and biking paths.
Fried said a portion of the line from Windsor to Meadowbrook Road might be a good candidate for that program and could hook into a township-wide network of walking paths. But the line south of Meadowbrook is unattractive for hikers because of its proximity to Route 130, officials said.
Among the beneficiaries of the plan would be property owners whose tracts have been trapped on the other side of the Conrail line, disconnected from any road.
"They're going to find their properties much more valuable than they have ever been," Caffrey said.
-- -- --
The potential redevelopment zone is not separate from other changes in the township, officials said.
Near the potential zone, Sharbell Development is planning a large, mixed-use development with age-restricted housing near the intersection of Gordon Road and northbound Route 130.
Perhaps more important, officials plan to link the redevelopment zone to traffic improvements in the township.
The township has taken one step by adding the Robbinsville bypass around the municipal complex.
Another possible bypass, south of the zone along the township's border with Hamilton, is being considered by officials.
Whatever course the Route 130 area takes, the township appears to be an attractive target for development.
Real estate broker Tom Orban said that if the township can overcome the obstacles of the rail line and the wetlands, the possibility of packaging properties into larger developments is enticing.
"It's got an enormous potential," Orban said.
Caffrey said the township will hold a public meeting June 13 at the township senior center to discuss the steps involved in the redevelopment process.
Correspondent Chris Sturgis contributed to this report.
-- -- --
Contact Andrew Kitchenman at akitchenman@njtimes.com or at (609) 989-5706.
© 2006 The Times of Trenton
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
Growth plan for Route 130
Rail line may be track to redevelopment in Washington Twp.
Monday, May 15, 2006
By ANDREW KITCHENMAN
Staff Writer
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP -- When the Camden and Amboy Railroad was built in the early 1830s, it sparked modern growth in an area that later became Mercer County's Washington Township.
As Conrail prepares to abandon those tracks 175 years later, the move could fuel another burst of economic growth here.
Mayor David Fried hopes to remake the main stretch of Route 130 between the intersections at Route 33 in Robbinsville and Church Street in the village of Windsor.
The property along Route 130 is less developed as it cuts through the center of the township than it is to the south, with the Hamilton Marketplace, and to the north, where there is commercial development in East Windsor.
Two things have blocked commercial development along the highway: wetlands on the northbound side and the Conrail railroad tracks on the southbound side.
While the township must work around the wetlands, Conrail is proposing to abandon the section of its tracks in the township.
Fried now is preparing to declare Route 130 an "area in need of redevelopment," a designation that would allow the township latitude in preparing a new plan for the road, including possible eminent domain powers.
"The biggest challenge has always been the railroad tracks," Fried said.
Among the properties on the stretch of Route 130 are small motels and former industrial sites. Fried said a significant portion of the crimes in the township occur in that area.
The redevelopment plans are at an early stage. Township Administrator Mary Caffrey said the township council would oversee the redevelopment and appoint a planner to develop a plan for the area.
The planner would look at such factors as who owns which properties and what potential the land would have if properties were combined. The township could have a single developer oversee the development or several developers could work together.
-- -- --
Fried said the township would aim for a mix of uses in the zone, including offices and retail space. But he said the township would want to maintain a feel different from the larger commercial developments in Hamilton and East Windsor.
"We want people to know they're in Washington Township," Fried said.
Caffrey said the township also could target science laboratories and biotechnology firms. "We really would be a natural for that kind of use," she said, noting that labs have little traffic impact because they have few employees.
The township's long-dormant economic development committee has been reformed and has discussed the area.
Officials see redeveloping Route 130 as essential to expanding the township's tax base -- and cutting increases in the property taxes paid by homeowners in the township, where the average tax bill will be more than $8,000 this year.
History is tied to both the highway, once known as the Bordentown and South Amboy Turnpike, and the rail line, which as the Camden and Amboy Railroad was first in the state.
But the rails haven't been used in more than 10 years and Conrail doesn't see a future for industrial uses in the township, said Conrail lawyer John K. Enright.
Conrail expects to file a plan with the national Surface Transportation Board to abandon the tracks in June and expects a response by the end of August, Enright said. Conrail then would contact neighboring landowners to see if they want to buy pieces of the property, he said.
-- -- --
Some business owners along the highway seem excited about the prospect of a new look for the area, but they are eager to learn more details.
Chris Ciaccio, owner of Tony's Farm & Garden Center, said she supports the township's plans, noting that the highway hasn't changed in the past 25 years.
"Right now, it's a diamond in the rough, but I think we can make it sparkle," Ciaccio said.
While her business has been successful and would benefit from nearby development, Ciaccio said her family also could consider selling as part of the redevelopment. "We're open to different options," she said.
On the southbound side of Route 130, the six-room Oakwood Motel is the kind of business that may not last if redevelopment occurs.
Owner Joseph Celauro said he has been approached by real estate agents looking to buy the business, which he has operated since 1976.
He said he is keeping an eye on the township's plans for the area and referred to the New London, Conn., case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that governments can legally take properties to enable private economic development.
"As soon as that eminent domain passed with the Supreme Court, I got very nervous," said Celauro.
While Celauro sees room for improvement in the area and believes eliminating the rail line could help, he also said, "I want to sell it when I want to sell it."
Fried said condemning land is not the township's first choice but noted that raising the possibility of condemnation was useful in the effort to preserve the Updike and Herman farms near Windsor.
-- -- --
A redevelopment zone has proven controversial at the NJ Transit station in Hamilton. But officials here said they want to work closely with property owners and neighbors of the possible redevelopment zone.
At the township council meeting Thursday, Christopher Hanlon, who is working on the plan, told the council that "bland, technical notice can scare people." He added that the township should assure residents it can be "a two-way, transparent process."
The council also discussed a situation in Lodi where residents of two trailer parks scored a court victory to prevent their homes from being taken through eminent domain so a gated, mixed-use senior community could be built. Borough officials there plan to appeal the decision.
Caffrey advised the council it would be "better to take more time on the front end because you pay more for it in court on the back end."
In the past, township officials said that if Conrail were to abandon the tracks, they would be a potential site for "rails to trails," a program in which old rail lines become hiking and biking paths.
Fried said a portion of the line from Windsor to Meadowbrook Road might be a good candidate for that program and could hook into a township-wide network of walking paths. But the line south of Meadowbrook is unattractive for hikers because of its proximity to Route 130, officials said.
Among the beneficiaries of the plan would be property owners whose tracts have been trapped on the other side of the Conrail line, disconnected from any road.
"They're going to find their properties much more valuable than they have ever been," Caffrey said.
-- -- --
The potential redevelopment zone is not separate from other changes in the township, officials said.
Near the potential zone, Sharbell Development is planning a large, mixed-use development with age-restricted housing near the intersection of Gordon Road and northbound Route 130.
Perhaps more important, officials plan to link the redevelopment zone to traffic improvements in the township.
The township has taken one step by adding the Robbinsville bypass around the municipal complex.
Another possible bypass, south of the zone along the township's border with Hamilton, is being considered by officials.
Whatever course the Route 130 area takes, the township appears to be an attractive target for development.
Real estate broker Tom Orban said that if the township can overcome the obstacles of the rail line and the wetlands, the possibility of packaging properties into larger developments is enticing.
"It's got an enormous potential," Orban said.
Caffrey said the township will hold a public meeting June 13 at the township senior center to discuss the steps involved in the redevelopment process.
Correspondent Chris Sturgis contributed to this report.
-- -- --
Contact Andrew Kitchenman at akitchenman@njtimes.com or at (609) 989-5706.
© 2006 The Times of Trenton
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
posted by Jones Lang LaSalle NJ News Blog at 10:18 AM
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