While there was some discussion at the Township Council level over when the 45-day review period for the draft plan of the Princeton Junction train station redevelopment area will actually begin at the Planning Board, the board is expecting the plan to arrive in its hands by Friday, January 9.##M:[more]##
The discussion at the council level on January 5 — the original date set by council to hand over the document to the board — occurred after council was told that when Hillier handed over draft documents, township professionals noticed problems with the maps and text that needed to be fixed, and Hillier was still in the process of making those changes. However, the board has scheduled its first meeting for redevelopment on Tuesday, January 13.
During this meeting, “some of the professionals will present an oral synopsis of the plan in advance of the Planning Board members reviewing the plan in detail,” Gardner said.
During the board’s reorganization meeting on January 7, the board also set meeting dates to continue review of the plan. This includes a meeting on Thursday, January 22, during which the board will review the circulation, road system, Bus Rapid Transit, bicycle and pedestrian issues, traffic, parking, and the phasing and funding for these elements. On Thursday, January 29, the board will begin looking at the land use, housing, districts, and affordable housing issues, which will carry over to a meeting on Tuesday, February 10. The last meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18, during which the board is expecting to determine the recommendations to send to the council.
Professionals Hired. In other business during the Planning Board’s January 7 meeting, the board appointed West Windsor Police Chief Joe Pica as traffic safety officer; Jim Yates as fire marshal; Dan Dobromilsky as the landscape architect; and Fran Guzik as the township engineer. They also appointed Gerald Muller as the Planning Board attorney; John Madden as the consultant planner; Chris Jepson of Van Cleef Engineering as the environmental engineer; and Gary Davies as the traffic engineer. Planning Board Chairman Marvin Gardner said this is the third straight year that the board has reappointed its professionals without giving them a pay increase.
