University's condo plan clears a hurdle The Trenton Times, August 17, 2001
Proposal endangers everyone's back yard (Princeton Condo Development) July 27, 2001
D&R Canal Commission OKs condos near park Princeton Packet, June 22, 2001
Guest Opinion, Princeton Packet and South Brunswick Post
Testimony before the D & R Canal Commission concerning the proposed Princeton University application for the Princeton Nurseries Land
Letter to the Trustees from the Kingston Historical Society, May 30, 2001
Letter to the Executive Director and the Commissioners of the D & R Canal Commission, May 29, 2001
Letter to the Board of Trustees of Princeton University, May 22, 2001
Letter to the D & R Canal Commission, May 22, 2001
Protest forces D&R panel to delay Villas vote Princeton Packet, May 18, 2001
University's condo plan clears a hurdle
By: David Campbell, Staff Writer August 17, 2001
Canal Commission approves new intersection for Plainsboro project.
STOCKTON - The Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission on Wednesday approved a revised four-way signaled intersection at Mapleton Road and Seminary Drive in Plainsboro for a 220-unit luxury condominium development planned for the Princeton Nurseries lands by Princeton University.
In June, the commission unanimously rejected the proposed intersection but gave its unanimous approval to the condos at the Villas at Tuscany, a project that has since been renamed Barkley Square. That meeting was a continuation of a meeting in May.
In December, the Plainsboro Township Planning Board unanimously approved the plan for the intersection and condos, which included a concession by the university of more than 30 acres between Mapleton Road and the canal to be preserved as open space.
On Wednesday, Princeton University representatives appeared again before the canal commission with a request for approval of the intersection with modifications, which was granted by a 6-1 vote, with commission member Winona Nash dissenting. The vote paves the way for development to begin.
"We hope we'll do a better job in presenting this application, and hopefully we'll assist you better than we did in May and June," said university attorney Chris Baker. "We feel very strongly the application being presented to you satisfies all your regulations."
Apparently responding to criticism and concerns raised by residents at the June meeting, the university and its consultants returned Wednesday with a more thorough presentation supporting their argument that the intersection would have minimal impact on the canal. The presentation included photographs of views from the canal, architectural elevations and aerial shots of the proposed development in context with the greater region.
About 40 residents turned out to decry the intersection as an invitation to increase traffic and destroy the historic and rural character of Mapleton Road and the surrounding region.
George Hawkins, executive director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, urged the commission to evaluate the impact of the roadway enhancement on the canal not only with regard to
Barkley Square but to future development on the adjoining 114 acres, which the university also owns.
While no formal proposal has been filed, the university has installed the sewer infrastructure necessary to support a 2 million-square-foot office-and-retail complex on the site.Mr. Baker sought to persuade the commission not to lose sight of its regulatory jurisdiction, the canal, by exploring "the regional ramifications of growth in the region.
"This is not the forum," he said.
Commission Executive Director James Amon, on the advice of the commission's lawyer, reviewed the new proposal solely as it relates to Barkley Square, and concluded it conformed with commission regulations.
The university, which owns the land, and Fieldstone Associates, the university's development partner, originally proposed replacing the existing T intersection at Seminary Drive and Mapleton Road with a curve from Seminary Drive onto Mapleton Road toward Kingston, regulated by a four-way traffic signal.
The modifications include moving the intersection an additional 422 feet from the canal, making the total distance 942 feet, said David Knights, marketing director for Princeton Forrestal, which oversees management and promotion for all of the university's Forrestal properties.
The university also proposed adding 4,410 feet of pathways for pedestrians and bikes linking the condos to the canal along Seminary Drive and the realigned Mapleton Road, and removing right-hand turn lanes at the intersection, thereby reducing the width of the impervious surface of the road by 12 feet, Mr. Knights said.
Many residents urged the university to leave Mapleton Road as it is, and instead to provide vehicle access to Barkley Square from Seminary Drive or College Road West, to draw traffic from Route 1 or Princeton Forrestal Village rather than from rural Mapleton Road.
Corrington Hwong of the Kingston Historical Society read a statement from Robert von Zumbusch of Friends of Princeton Open Space, who could not be present, calling the development and intersection "completely out of scale with the character of the area and the adjoining historic district."
In his own statement, Mr. Hwong said the strong turnout of opposition "is another testament to a really broad-based citizen concern. It just shows you the concern up and down the region."
He called the university's presentation "myopic" because it does not take into account the university's other development plans for the Princeton Nurseries lands.
Mary Penney of the Central Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club asked the commission to stand by its previous vote rejecting the intersection, saying "Please stand by your decision, I think it was a good one."
In his closing comments, Mr. Baker said the intersection would be needed even if the nursery lands are not developed. He urged the commission to "concentrate on the facts, not the passions of the moment."
"I realize this is as controversial decision, a tough decision," he said prior to the commission's vote.
©Packet Online 2001
Princeton Packet
July 27, 2001Proposal endangers everyone's back yard
To the editor:
We respectfully disagree with your July 17 editorial characterizing some opponents of the Princeton Nursery Lands development as mean-spirited and self-centered. As far as being NIMBY-ists, we are, and proudly so, but not in the traditional sense.
The term NOT IN MY BACK YARD (NIMBY) has been interpreted to mean those who don't want something in their community but have no objection to placing it in yours. Such a description hardly applies to those in the Millstone Valley Preservation Coalition and other groups advocating reasonable development and Smart Growth. Instead, we believe that some projects, including the Nursery Lands proposal, Route 92 and the Millstone Bypass, as presently envisioned, simply do not belong in the region's "backyard."
The Packet fails to grasp the regional impact regarding developments of this scale. The Villas and future development of nearly 3 million square feet of offices on the Nursery Lands would by the University's own calculations, add an approximate 10-15,000 car trips per day to the Route 1 area. The infrastructure of Route 1 and Nassau Street is incapable of handling this, to say nothing of Kingston Village and its environs.
We have consistently admitted the University's right to realize a profit on its investment. We believe it can do so without despoiling the Canal State Park, two historic corridors, a historic village and the quality of life of thousands of residents. What we have not seen is willingness on the University's part to consider the community at least on par with its profit motive. We advocate a go-slow approach that restrains development to a pace that existing infrastructure can bear and conducting affairs in an open process over which impacted voters have some control. The cost of preserving the site would be astronomical, but funds could be marshaled to purchase a portion of the site and development clustered away from the village and canal toward where the infrastructure is and will be. This is Smart Growth, and together with a conservation-minded design, would enable the development to proceed with far less detriment.
Contrary to your statement, the D&R Canal Commission did not support the Villas at Tuscany project; it was conditionally approved and the Mapleton Road reconfiguration was denied. The comments made at the June meeting by the chairman and commission members made it clear that their decision was based on the fact the D&R Canal Commission Regulations did not ~permit them to fully reject the project.
You are correct that the site plan conforms to local ordinances. That doesn't mean it is the smartest or best plan. We have reached out to the University to attempt to make it so. Within the last year, a profile on Plainsboro in a local paper stated that 45% of the township's area was preserved. Plainsboro should be congratulated for this, but like many communities, it has placed dense development that generates desirable ratables on its neighbor's doorstep.
Looking further, we advocate that the entire Route 1 corridor from Trenton to New Brunswick and its environs be designated as State Special Planning Areas, much like the Meadowlands and Pinelands, In this way, development on the scale proposed by Princeton University can be viewed with regard to its impact on the entire region and the need to plan for the necessary homes, roads, schools and open space. Within these regions, revenue is shared to help mitigate the impact of development on the roads, schools and services that adjoining communities will need to provide.
NIMBY has more than one meaning. Prior to casting out the term in pejorative dismissal of certain people, The Packet should discover whose backyard we're dealing with. What we'll find is that the backyard is all of central New Jersey and that it is ours, not just mine. Why wouldn't we want to protect and to defend what is ours?
Michael J. Orsini
Millstone Valley Preservation Coalition
D&R Canal Commission OKs condos near park
By: David Campbell, Staff Writer June 22, 2001
A proposed four-way signaled intersection at the Plainsboro development was rejected.
The Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the 220-unit Villas at Tuscany but rejected a proposed four-way signaled intersection at Mapleton Road and Seminary Drive for the development.
More than 30 residents opposed the upscale development, many urging the commission to look beyond the borders of the canal state park and consider the regional impact the development will have.
Canal Commission Executive Director James Amon said the regulations imposed by the commission on developments like the Villas "are a compromise - they do not try, and they do not expect, to prevent all new development.
Mr. Amon had recommended that both the Villas and the intersection be approved, but following prolonged public testimony and a closed session by the commission, its members rejected the intersection unanimously.The hearing Wednesday was a continuation of a May 18 meeting, which was taken up by more than two hours of public testimony opposing the project.
Two applications were before the commission, one for approval of the Villas itself, the other for a realignment of Mapleton Road.
Princeton University, which owns the land, and Fieldstone Associates, the university's development partner, proposed replacing the existing T intersection at Seminary Drive and Mapleton Road with a curve from Seminary Drive onto Mapleton Road toward Kingston and regulated by a four-way traffic signal.
Portions of both the proposed roadway realignment and the Villas fall within the commission's 1,000-foot review zone.
Mr. Amon said Wednesday that the potential impacts to the state park relating to increased storm water runoff, traffic, noise, air pollution and visual impacts had all been reviewed, and the two applications were found to be in compliance with commission regulations.
"It is my recommendation that the Villas at Tuscany should be approved by the commission as proposed," he said. "It is my recommendation that the road alignment be approved with the conditions I have outlined."
Prior to the commission's rejection of the alignment, Mr. Amon recommended a number of ways to mitigate traffic impact, including gating the roadway, banning trucks and assorted traffic-calming measures.
"Obviously there will be more traffic, but we can design in a way that it will be less obtrusive," Mr. Amon said.
The Plainsboro Township Planning Board unanimously approved the construction of the Villas on 56 acres of former Princeton Nurseries land in December, and the university's donation of 30 acres between Mapleton Road and the canal to be preserved open space.
Michael La Place, Plainsboro's community development director, said the proposal the Planning Board approved included the signaled intersection rejected by the commission Wednesday but the development proposal will not have to be reviewed again by Plainsboro.
Opponents to the project have claimed the development will bring too much traffic to the area along with noise and air pollution to the canal park.
Prior to the commission vote Wednesday, Robert von Zumbusch, vice president of Friends of Princeton Open Space, said, "I think this project should not be developed, but that is something which is beyond your control. There is no denying that overall, this is not good planning."
Mr. von Zumbusch acknowledged the willingness of university lawyers and professionals to meet with residents over the course of the commission's approval process, but said that "basically their role is to develop this land and make money for Princeton University."
Corrington Hwong of the Kingston Historical Society urged the commission to "broaden your scope and look at the regional impact."
Jean Mahoney of Sensible Transportation Options Partnership said the Villas proposal "has too many problems and should be sent back to the drawing board."
Ms. Mahoney urged commission members to "be heroes. Vote your consciences and send it back."
In addition to the Villas, the university has plans to build a 2-million-square-foot office and retail complex on the remaining 114 acres of nurseries land, but university officials have said no official proposal has yet been drafted.©The Princeton Packet 2001
Guest Opinion, Princeton Packet and South Brunswick Post
Shirley M. Caldwell Tilghman, the new president of Princeton University, has some choices to make in the next few weeks that will affect Princeton for decades to come.
Every day, it becomes more evident that our explosive suburban growth is coming at a terrible price. For two generations, we have fled our cities to manicured, car-addicted suburbs. No area has experienced more of this "sprawl" than Princeton. But the suburban dream is becoming a nightmare: interminable traffic delays, air and water pollution, crowded schools, and soaring property taxes--not to mention the deadly effect on farming, nature, and energy resources.
Amazingly, just as almost every thinking person has come to recognize that sprawl is destructive, Princeton University has increased its development activities. Exempt from the taxes regular citizens pay, with a $9 billion endowment that's the highest per enrolled student of any university, Princeton has, through its Forrestal Associates arm, acquired thousands of acres of farm and nursery land, and begun developing it. Its latest development will erect 220 three-story apartment units on 60 magnificent open acres that overlook the D&R Canal state park. It's textbook sprawl, the kind that values the aesthetics of neat rows of shiny Mercedes to the sight of a hawk soaring above a meadow. When the apartments are completed, the University plans to add a staggering 3 million square feet of office space next door. This huge complex, on what was once Princeton Nurseries, will generate thousands of new auto trips daily, which helps explain the University's behind-the-scenes maneuvering on behalf of the environmentally destructive Millstone Bypass and Route 92 projects, publicly financed
driveways to the University's massive corporate campus.In addition to paving over meadows and adding further congestion, noise, emissions, and runoff, the development may well sound the death knell for the historic village of Kingston. That's because of the plan to re-align and widen scenic Mapleton Road to accommodate the increased traffic. Rather than channeling traffic onto Route 1, Plainsboro and the University have designed access to the proposed complex from what is now a two-lane country road that leads to the even narrower Academy Street in Kingston. The traffic funneled into Kingston will be a nightmare for the people who live along Academy Street, for commuters who already face delays here, for cyclists and walkers along the D&R Canal State Park--a nightmare for everybody except the University, which stands to pocket millions in profits.
Kingston isn't the most fashionable neighborhood. Not many university professors or administrators live in Kingston. But university plant and
maintenance workers do. Police and firemen live in Kingston. Secretaries, staff and graduate students. There are Kingston residents who have lived here all their lives, who have retired after 25 and 30 years of service to the University. They deserve better than to be brushed aside so that commuters can have faster, easier access to the newest office campus and so the University can further enrich its endowment. Kingston does not want to die. It wants to keep living--its people have worked hard and earned the right to keep their village a decent place to live. The real village of Kingston may, ironically, be destroyed so that the phony outlet-and fast-food failure that is Forrestal Village might live.Unless this plan is modified and re-oriented to Route 1 where it belongs, the apartments and the millions of feet of office space that are coming soon will destroy Kingston. A great institution of learning has its moral compass askew if it does not pursue its goals, including its fiduciary agenda. Princeton's new President, Shirley Tilghman has an opportunity to rethink Princeton's relationship to the community. It will not be easy. It means rethinking assumptions and challenging entrenched interests. It will require courage. But it's the right thing to do.
Princeton is a powerful institution. Can it be a great and good one, too? We cheer your teams, type your memos, fix your boilers, prune your trees, serve your meals, patrol your streets. Please, Princeton: spare our village.
Anne Zeman
George Luck
Co-chairs
Joint Advisory Task Force for the Village of Kingston
Testimony before the D & R Canal Commission concerning the proposed Princeton University application for the Princeton Nurseries Land:
Mr. Amon, Commissioners, Members of the Public and Applicants:My name is Richard Barrett. I am on the Board of Trustees of the D & R Canal Coalition. The D&R Canal Coalition is a citizen advocacy, nonprofit organization founded in 1973 which works actively to protect, preserve, and develop the D&R Canal State Park. This unique Park is (1) a ribbon of continuous land - a Greenway - across central New Jersey, (2) a source of historic sites, (3) a focus for artistic and natural science activities, and (4) a place of peace, beauty, and recreation. The land adjacent to the D&R Canal State Park is currently threatened by explosive development engulfing central New Jersey. Farmlands, historic towns, and charming country roads are being lost or radically changed as condominiums, malls, office complexes and housing developments cover the land. Because the Canal Park is such an important and desirable element in the quality of life of our region, the Coalition joins with those attempting to divert such radical changes away from the Park and into more appropriate areas and so preserve the Park.
The D & R Canal Commission was created pursuant to the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Law of 1974, N.J.SA. 13:13A-1 et seq. The Commission is authorized to do two things:
1. Prepare and adopt a Master Plan for the physical development of the D& R Canal State Park
2. Establish review zones in which it will review all private and public projects that impact on the Park and insure that these projects conform as nearly as possible to the Master Plan
The third objective of the Master Plan for the D&R Canal in 7:45 is to maintain the Park as an historical resource:The Park's historic character is derived as much from the context through which the Canal flows as from the Canal structures. That context -the area that can be seen from the Canal and its towpath-should be preserved in a manner that reflects its historic nature.
This dovetails with NJ State Planning Goal 7 in The New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan affirming:
The essential elements of Statewide Policies for Historic, Cultural and Scenic Resources are to protect, enhance, and, where appropriate, rehabilitate historic, cultural and scenic resources by identifying,evaluating and registering significant historic, cultural and scenic landscapes, districts, structures, buildings, objects and sites and ensuring that new growth and development is compatible with historic, cultural and scenic values. These policies are designed also to protect and enhance the natural and visual values of scenic and historic values of scenic and historic corridors by promoting the management of new growth and development in ways that complement scenic and historic values associated with these corridors and by using a variety of preservation techniques.
Several Statewide Policies within the Plan give specific guidance:
* Locate and design public and private infrastructure improvements to protect historic resources and their settings from the immediate and cumulative effects of construction and maintenance of these improvements.
* Manage development and re development to maintain, complement and enhance scenic and historic values within identified scenic and historic corridors.
* Participate in the coordination of State, regional and local government identification and delineation of scenic and historic corridors throughout the state and take the necessary steps to protect them.
* Design infrastructure and other site facilities to satisfy their functional purpose while contributing to local character and sense of place. Minimize site disruption, respect the physical, scenic and historic assets of a site,and use every possible opportunity to meet all relevant State Plan goalsThe D & R Canal State Park is recognized in The NJ State Development and Redevelopment Plan as an Environmentally Sensitive Planning Area (PA5) and a Critical Environmental/Historic Site (CEHSS ).The D & R Canal Commission, is a state commission and its decisions must conform with the NJ State Development and Redevelopment Plan. The State Plan places special emphasis on greenways and historic corridors; most important is the D.& R. Canal which, with its towpath and adjacent parkland, form what has been called a "green spine for central New Jersey" making connections in time and space. The importance of preserving the historic context of the canal can not be
underestimated.The Princeton Nurseries Historic District is a significant part of the historic rural agricultural area which provides the historical context of Kingston Village and the Canal?s environment, as well as its buffer. It lies in both South Brunswick and Plainsboro Townships. A portion of the site lies on one of the Crossroads of the American Revolution: the Heathcote Brook bridge on Mapleton Road, currently being replaced by Middlesex County, is the site of a much earlier bridge used by General George Washington and his army on the way to the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. Mapleton Road was already indicated on John Dalley's map of 1745. The Federal Government is providing millions of dollars to protect,preserve and enhance the Crossroads.
The Princeton Nurseries Historic District was declared eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in an opinion by the NJ State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). In determining the significance of the district for eligibility, the NJ Office of Historic Preservation made the following statement:
"The district is notable for the remarkably consistent picture it presents of a specialized agricultural practice, little changed in appearanceand basic methodology since the early 20th century. Combined with Carnegie Lake and the Delaware and Raritan Canal on the western boundary of the district, the nursery fields provide valuable green 'breathing space' in an area rapidly undergoing transformation to multi-unit housing...[T]he district's greatest significance lies in the rare environmental and aesthetic experience it creates."
Unfortunately, much of the originally identified Princeton Nurseries Historic District has been lost to development; it is, therefore, all the more important to preserve the remaining open land and, especially the scenic historic Mapleton Road corridor including the road itself, which should not be altered.The preservation of the Mapleton Road view corridor is important to preserve the historic context, of both Kingston Village and the canal area - as a link from the past to the present to the future, and as a means of protecting the quality of life in the village and the region. Today agriculture may no longer always feasible, but it is important to preserve the greenbelts which offer the opportunities for open space and recreation. In addition, greenbelts provide a protective buffer for the village and the canal and a reminder of the area's agricultural past in a time of intensive development and change. Mapleton Road in its present configuration maintains the historic ambience and context and, as has been proposed, would be eligible for the State Scenic Highway Program.
The Canal regulations state that proposals for new or road improvements in Zone A should not adversely affect the historic features, character, or substantially increase vehicular traffic to roads adjacent to the Canal. There has been a great deal of speculation concerning traffic data in regard to the proposed application. At a minimum, according to Mr. Amon's interpretation of the figures, traffic will increase in excess 10%. If Mappleton Road were a state road, the applicant would be subject to NJ State Highway Access Code, approved in accordance with the NJ State Highway Access Management Legislation of 1987 and the state plan. Under those regulations, traffic increase in excess of 10% at peak hours is considered significant. It must be emphasized that the potential negative traffic impact and "intrusion into the historic Delaware & Raritan State Park review zone" is why the Scudders Mill Road extension directly south was opposed by the Commission.
To summarize: there are definitive reasons why the D & R Canal Commission, in keeping with its regulations, under N.J.SA. 13:13A-1 et seq., should not issue a Certificate of Approval for the widening and realignment of Seminary Road. The proposed roadway changes would substantially change the character of physical features within a portion of the Canal?s setting and diminish the integrity of significant historic features in this portion of the Canal.
In keeping with our stated mission, the D & R Canal Coalition is particularly concerned about the changes wrought from cumulative and incremental changes within the A Review zone. In 1997, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) published the results of research concerning cumulative effects in Considering Cumulative Effects. CEQ was established by Congress with passage of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, to implement and administer NEPA. In the study, the Council found that ?evidence is increasing that the
most devastating environmental effects may result not from the direct effects of a particular action, but from the combination of individually minor effects of multiple actions over time.? This is what William Odum, in 1982, described as the "tyranny of small decisions." In this light, the commission must recognize that what you are faced with today is not a small decision. Governor Whitman recognized this when she considered the impact of the Millstone Bypass' potential adverse impact on the region's historic resources, including the D & R Canal State Park and said: "We must convince ourselves that we are taking the route that least affects the area's environment and character."In an area of such historic, scenic and recreational importance, it is essential that the Canal Commission, stewards of this remarkable resource and jewel in the state park system, preserve its character and context. It is also crucial that Princeton University and the Canal Commission do the right thing and to preserve the Mapleton Road scenic historic corridor. The State Plan outlines that: "Unlike the provisions of other 'greater-than-local' state and regional planning statutes, the state Planning Act is based on the nobility of reason and coherence. It relies upon the sense of responsibility and conscience of New Jersey's public and private sectors at the state and local levels to understand and embrace a coherent plan for New Jersey's future."
KINGSTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Box 323 Kingston, NJ 08528
May 30, 2001To : The Trustees of Princeton University
Dear Trustees:
I write on behalf of the Kingston Historical Society (KHS) and the endangered Village of Kingston. The University, through Princeton Forrestal Associates (PFA) proposes a high-density development project for the Princeton Nursery land, near the northern end of Lake Carnegie. This project 220-units of rental residences near a two-lane, rural, historic road and a major re-alignment and expansion of that rural, historic road. The University and its development partners seek to capitalize on an ambiance you will destroy by the very nature of your development.
Approximately ninety residents from seven area communities attended the May 16, 2001 Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission meeting to oppose PFA's proposal. The exceptional size of the opposition prompted PFA to request the Canal Commission to defer a vote on these matters until the June 20th meeting. KHS is not against the development of lands for the fiduciary benefits of Princeton University. These objectives are appropriate as long as the development does not have a negative impact on the University's neighbors.
Kingston : Endangered Historic Site
Preservation New Jersey (PNJ) recently recognized New Jersey's rural villages as among the ten most endangered historic sites. KINGSTON VILLAGE was specifically identified as such an example. Included in PNJ's reasons for the endangerment of New Jersey's rural villages are a) uncontrollable traffic generated by external sources and b) context-insensitive development immediately adjacent to the villages, often in other jurisdictions.
KHS implores the Trustees of Princeton University to a) withdraw the plans to alter the historic roads surrounding the Princeton Nursery , b) move all development of Princeton Nursery to Route One...where it belongs ; and c) have all vehicles from the Nursery lands only use Route One for traffic access, as was done for Princeton Landing.
Mapleton Road is an historic and scenic view corridor. It was one of the paths taken by Washington's troops as the Continental Army traveled to the Battle of Monmouth.
Exacerbating the situation is PFA's additional plan to construct almost 3 million square feet of office / retail space. This proposal would generate 10,000 - 15,000 additional vehicles, many of which will use Mapleton Road and overwhelm the National Historic District of Kingston Village as well as eleven nearby National Historic District communities or sites. Princeton Borough and Township will not be spared. Heavy trucks will aggravate an already bad situation.
Directing traffic to rural, local roads will introduce visual, atmospheric, and audible elements that diminish the integrity of significant historic features in this portion of the Canal and of these National Historic Districts. The result is a substantial alteration of the character of physical features and settings within a portion of the Delaware and Raritan Canal and a degradation of the habitability of adjacent communities. The proposed expansion of Seminary Drive / Mapleton Road and their intersection will substantially expand the noise paths , currently limited to the perpendicular approach to Mapleton Road and the Canal.
Princeton Nurseries has been a unique historical and cultural resource. This site deserves planning which respects its historical, scenic, and natural character.
Princeton University espouses a creed of service to the nation and the world, but appears to have little concern for its neighbors, many of whom work for the University. The University and its real estate development have become a major force in central New Jersey. As one of the nation's great institutions of higher education, one would expect the University act with responsibility to the region and its residents.
With regards,
Corrington Hwong
President Kingston Historical Society
To the Executive Director and the Commissioners, D & R Canal Commission
May 29, 2001
The Delaware and Raritan Canal Park is an easily accessible escape from traffic, noise, and pollution for the thousands of people-from infants in backpacks to the elderly with canes-who enjoy it throughout the year. The towpath is perfect for walking, jogging, bicycling, and cross country skiing. Many use the canal for canoeing and kayaking. The park provides a habitat for at least 160 species of birds, 90 of which nest within the park.
Your web site (www.dandrcanal.com) touts Kingston as one of the prime "Points of Interest" for those visiting the Canal Park and it notes that it is "one of the more heavily visited spots along the canal."
However, the development, "Villas of Tuscany," proposed for construction in Plainsboro, just next to Kingston, would be within 1,000 feet of the canal. This three-story rental apartment complex, along with the widening of Mapleton Road and the change in configuration of the intersection of Mapleton Road and Seminary Drive will compromise the integrity and beauty of the Delaware and Raritan Canal.
Your charge as D&R Commissioners is "to prepare and administer a land use regulatory program that will protect the Canal Park from the harmful impacts of new development in central New Jersey." It is your mandate to monitor whether "new development could have drainage, visual or other ecological impact on the Canal Park."
"Villas of Tuscany" will destroy the sight-line from the canal and its towpath. The traffic from this development, along with that expected from the proposed development of a 2.9 million square foot office complex just to its north, will increase pollution.
The proposed widening of Mapleton Road (a portion of which today nearly touches the canal) and the reconfiguration of the intersection of Mapleton Road and Seminary Drive will encourage more through traffic-including trucks-leading to increased runoff and pollution of the canal water as well as increased noise and fumes for those walking or boating within the park.
On a recent walk along the towpath, I saw countless turtles (many sunning on logs and several swimming in the canal), two snakes (a small one hitching a ride on one about 2 feet long), goslings paddling after their parents, birds singing in the trees and brush. The D&R Canal Park provides us a precious habitat.
I urge you to deny permission for construction of "Villas of Tuscany" in its current form and to deny permission for the changes in configuration for Mapleton Road. It is your mandate to protect the Delaware and Raritan Canal Park.
Sincerely,Sandra Shapiro
West Windsor
To members of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission,
Within the limits of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission review capabilities there are two issues that command your attention, 1. the road reconfiguration, and 2. the view of the development from Canal Park.
The reconfiguration of the road system at the corner of Mapleton Road and Seminary Drive has extreme negative consequences on the Canal
Park. Many speakers brought these to your attention on May 16 at the Commission
meeting. These include:1.
* Pollution and run off of drainage and storm water into Canal Park, which is a major problem now with flooding on parts of Mapleton Road in heavy rain, occurring several times every year, requiring closing of Mapleton Road from Ridge Road south.
* Increased traffic from 440 additional cars in the Tuscan Villas development that has no place to go in the north and westerly direction, backing up in the National Register Historic Village of Kingston, the National Register Kings' Highway, and the National Register Princeton Nurseries Historic District.
* Mapleton Road is eligible for NJ Department of Transportation designation as a "Scenic Byway" and efforts are underway to establish this designation. This would enhance the Canal Park environment and further protect the towpath.
* Mapleton Road is in the Crossroads of the American Revolution designated area. The scenic historic road is already shown on the Dalley Map of 1745.
* The Delaware and Raritan Greenway, central New Jersey's Land Trust, included this property by block and lot numbers and submitted them to the state in a Master Plan for properties deserving of preservation. The D&R Greenway is willing to work to preserve this property with NJ Greentrust funds.
* Visual impact on the Canal Park, will change forever the tranquil appearance of the Nursery fields and windrows which provide valuable "breathing space" in a rapidly developing region. The view of a major highway section imposed in the "viewscape" of the Canal Park on the Nursery property violates the guidelines of the Canal Park legislation.The negative impacts of the road changes can be alleviated by requiring the developers to build an internal circulation system as was done at The Landing, another Picus residential development, a few thousand feet south of this site, on the other side of St. Joseph's Seminary. The Landings' system enters and exits from US 1 and is blocked by "cul de sac" from accessing Mapleton Road and effecting the Canal Park. The entrance and exit of the Tuscan Villas can be designed to flow on to College Road, instead of the fragile environment of the protected Canal Park and historic Mapleton Road.
2.
The second issue is the appearance of the buildings from the towpath. Since the ground elevates sharply from the towpath up to Mapleton Road, and continues to increase in height on the land where the Tuscan Villas are proposed to be built, the actual height of the structures nearest to the Park are in fact 73' higher than the towpath. The elevation of the ground level is thirty feet and the elevations of the housing units are 43 feet.
This problem can be eliminated by requiring that those structures nearest to the Mapleton Road and Canal Park view be limited to ten feet, as
in a garage, and recess the residences twenty feet behind the garages,(the depth of a garage), with one story elevations closest to the Road. This would provide a stepped series of elevations, reducing the impact on the Canal Park. Any higher structures would be further back in the development, with the softening of landscape materials and trees concealing the negative impact from the Canal Park.Although Princeton University has agreed to preserve the land between the Canal Park and Mapleton Road, they have not also eliminated the
housing density that is zoned for this land. They have taken that density allotment and transferred it to the property across Mapleton Road, and therefor have increased the number of units to 220 on the east side of the road. The value of the "protected" land is greatly diminished by using the development rights on an alternative space. When the University originally announced that it was protecting the 50 acres between the Canal Park and Mapleton Road, it was not clearly stated that they were taking the development rights to intensify the number of units on the other side of Mapleton Road. They have not lost anything in the reconfiguration, and therefor there is a very limited real gift.The lack of regional planning contributes to the sprawl exemplified by this proposed development. Because of the unique review powers of the
Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission, a great contribution to the health and character of the region can be effected in the review zone. We urge each Commissioner to consider the overall and far reaching effect of this development, and work to protect and preserve the treasure of the most widely used NJ state park, The Delaware and Raritan Canal Park.Rosemary Blair
Delaware and Raritan Canal Coalition, Chair
A Letter to the Board of Trustees of Princeton University
May 22, 2001To the Trustees of Princeton University:
Regarding the development of Princeton Nurseries
On January 11, 2001, Princeton University Professor Henry Horn gave a presentation on the environmental constraints of Princeton Ridge. Following the lecture a discussion ensued about the potential for an Arboretum on the Princeton Nursery lands in Kingston.
The Nursery lands were purchased by Princeton University in 1986, when the estate taxes on the property ensuing from the deaths of John Flemer and his father, William Flemer, within two years of each other, were too high for the family to absorb. The property was assessed as development land in the US #1 corridor. The land was sold to pay the taxes. While there were several potential buyers, the Flemer family decided to sell to the University, believing the University would make the most sensitive use of the property.
The land has characteristics that are unique. The Nursery is on the overlay edge of the Zones 6 and 7 of the middle Atlantic states. The soil types here are especially rich and ideal for growth of all manner of farming, including trees and landscape materials. In this climate, the hardy azaleas and rhododendron, magnolias and multitudes of other species flourish together with the northern forest woods of birch, beech, oak, maple, and aspen. This meeting of two zones allows the production of the widest variety of silviculture, and when coupled with the excellent soil conditions make it a special site, ideal for growing trees and plant material.
Returning as a veteran of World War I, William Flemer knew about these features. He had researched the east coast to find a prime place with ideal conditions for establishing the Princeton Nursery. This enterprise grew to be the largest commercial nursery in the United States and in the world. Princeton University purchased the Nursery lands, which more than doubled the total acreage of university lands, and placed the stewardship of the property in the University's investment division portfolio. Now we are witnessing the outcome of that decision. The lands are divided and a real estate developer of "upscale" condominiums has gained approvals to build 220 housing units, to be called Tuscan Villas. To the best of our knowledge, no consideration has been given to the unique environmental characteristics of this beautiful land. No consideration has been given to possible use other than development. The property has only been considered as vacant space, available for development.
Further, and more importantly, no consideration has been given to the regional impact of development of the Princeton Nurseries land. Plainsboro has given its approval. But note that central Plainsboro Township is located across Route 1. No consideration of regional traffic flow has been mentioned. There are no development-linked requirements for public transportation. Development today focuses on adequate parking spaces and adequate drainage to cope with runoff which results from the surface area of the earth which will be covered up. No consideration has been given to the need in the region for unpaved areas where water can percolate and recharge our groundwater supplies. (The abundance of available water on the Nursery lands led to the establishment of the Kingston Water Company, which sold water to the local communities, before being purchased by Elizabethtown Water Company for addition to it's regional resources of drinking water serving two million people in central New Jersey.) No consideration has been given for the need of the region to have places where people can be still and quiet, can walk and be human, so that when they re-enter their automobiles, road rage might be contained.
Alternatives exist. However, they are radical ideas in Princeton University's continued quest to build its financial coffers. These alternatives require an investment in the region, in the human factor, in regional planning. There are many residents within the University and in the neighboring communities who suggest that the University should consider the development of an Arboretum on that site. Other Ivy League universities have Arboretums: Harvard has the Arnold Arboretum, Yale has the Plantations which are part of the School of Forestry, Cornell and Penn have extensive arboretums, and Columbia has a historic relationship with the New York Botanical Gardens as a teaching resource. Not only could the area be an arboretum, it could be used as teaching space. We strongly recommend that Princeton University seriously consider the extraordinary features and location of the Princeton Nursery lands, and divert the development of these last few acres of open space.
As sprawl consumes the rich agricultural lands of the Princeton, Kingston, Plainsboro, Montgomery, Lawrence, West Windsor region, nothing will beleft but developments that are being built with approvals from the many discrete municipalities that have jurisdiction individually over the region. Already graduates "coming back, coming back to Old Nassau" see the landscape changed from tranquil farmlands and villages to housing developments, business parks and strip malls, totally clogged with traffic, and experiencing gridlock at the morning and evening commuter times. What F. Scott Fitzgerald describes as "Princeton, the phoenix rising in the ashes of (industrial) New Jersey" is fast becoming the vanished, vanquished landscape.
We appeal to you as a trustee to act to protect and preserve this unique habitat and environmentally treasured place from development. Your stewardship of Princeton University entails not only fiscal responsibility, but also prudent planning for the future generations. Preservation of the land and protection from development will insure that Princeton University will have the resources to implement new programs and contribute to the solutions necessary for global warming and climate change, as well as the social and medical challenges of the future. As Taxol from the yew tree was discovered to treat many kinds of cancer, so other pharmaceutical uses of substances in trees will be found from continuing research. Global warming can be influenced, and recent studies (NY Times 2/6/01, International p.A6, Andrew C. Revkin) conclude that by protecting existing forests and planting new ones, countries could blunt warming by sopping up 10 to 20 percent of the heat trapping carbon dioxide that is expected to be released by smokestacks and tailpipes over the next 30 years. Preservation of the land will also ensure that the quality of life in the area will continue to be cherished and sought after. The use of regional planning may serve as a model for other communities across the country, making a real contribution to Princeton in service to the world.
President Shapiro spoke in 1998 about having a dream, about Princeton University in the next century. I too have a dream, that this area which I call home, will not become so crowded and over-developed as to destroy the very characteristics that make it an attractive place to live. To protect this environment requires a change in how we approach open space and valuable land. The University might make a substantial return on its "investment"in the Princeton Nursery property by selling the land to a developer who will build numerous single family homes. Alternatively, the University could do something different. The Nurseries could become a park, and/or a research area for students which is more accessible (via the towpath) than Stony Ford and provides a different environment. The University could recover some of its investment by selling the development rights. Governor Whitman has made a point of supporting the preservation of open space in New Jersey. Princeton University might listen to the reasons she has made this pledge.
Finally, if Princeton University is determined to develop the land, why not be forward thinking and create a real town, with some services, like a grocery store, and sidewalks and bike paths. Or build a few modest homes, and use them for faculty recruitment. But please do not go forward with multiple residential and/or commercial development of that property. You have maximized Princeton's dollars at the James Forrestal Campus. Please preserve the quality of life in this area by considering alternatives to traditional building on vacant land. Please revisit the policy that puts decisions on the use of Princeton University lands with the investment arm of the University, without consideration of academic and research needs, and the negative impact of development on the region.
Very truly yours,
Rosemary Blair
Princeton-Kingston Rd.
Delaware and Raritan Canal Coalition
Protest forces D&R panel to delay Villas vote
By: David M. Campbell, Staff Writer May 18, 2001
Princeton University is proposing a 220-unit apartment complex on Princeton Nurseries land off Mapleton Road.
PLAINSBORO - Confronting continued public opposition and citing time constraints Wednesday, the Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission took no action to approve two applications related to the Villas at Tuscany, a 220-unit apartment complex proposed for Princeton Nurseries lands off Mapleton Road.
The commission's executive director, however, said the applications meet the commission's review standards.
Scores of residents from throughout the region spoke for three hours to commission members, voicing their opposition to the Villas, citing traffic, pollution and visual impacts on the canal state park.
The project is being proposed by Princeton University, which owns the land, and Fieldstone Associates, the university's development partner.
"Someday we're going to turn this around," said George Schindler, referring to statewide rapid development. "We've got to stop degrading the quality of life in our region. Why not here? Why not now?"
Speakers included residents from Kingston, Plainsboro, Montgomery, South Brunswick and Princeton, as well as spokespersons for area activist groups such as the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, the Sierra Club, the League of Women Voters of the Princeton Area and the Delaware & Raritan Canal Coalition.
The commission was expected to vote on two applications related to the Villas, a proposed 18-building complex near St. Joseph's Seminary.
One was the approval of a realignment of Mapleton Road. The existing "T" intersection at Seminary Drive and Mapleton Road would be replaced with a curve from Seminary Drive onto Mapleton Road toward Kingston, easing traffic flow to and from the proposed apartments. The other was the approval of the Villas themselves.
Portions of both the realigned roadway and the apartment development fall within the canal commission's 1,000-foot review zone. The commission reviewed potential impacts to the state park relating to increased stormwater runoff, traffic, noise, air pollution and visual impacts.
Commission Executive Director James Amon said both applications meet the commission's regulations governing development near the canal.
Winona Nash of Lawrence was the only member of the commission to voice concern about the applications when she said the village of Kingston would be best served if the historic Mapleton Road was left unchanged.
A vote by the commission was put off until the next commission meeting, June 20. The public will have until June 14 to submit written testimony on the project, according to the commission's lawyer.
Princeton University lawyer David Knights said, "In our mind, there is an absolute tie between the intersection, the Villas and the preservation of zoned residential land" as open space.
Last December, the Plainsboro Township Planning Board unanimously approved the university's proposal to build the Villas on 56 acres of former Princeton Nurseries land, and donate 30 acres between Mapleton Road and the canal as preserved open space.
"If you're interested in preserving the land, don't build," said area resident Elaine Young.
She called Mr. Knights' comment a "veiled threat" to develop the 30 acres if the Villas are not approved - a charge Mr. Knights denied.
"We are interested in preserving the land east of Mapleton," he said.
In addition to the Villas at Tuscany, the university has plans to build a 2 million-square-foot office and retail complex on the remaining 114 acres of nurseries land.
Rita Ludlum of the League of Women Voters said the league supports "wise land use and comprehensive long-range planning. The league feels the Villas of Tuscany fall short of these goals."
George Hawkins, executive director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, spoke of a failure to consider the cumulative impact of development.
"I have never seen a project where the traffic impact will be a problem," he said. "It is not each project that causes the problem. It is when you add them all together" that they result in a regional "traffic calamity."
The Villas cannot be built without the commission's approval. An applicant can request a contested case hearing before the commission if the commission denies a certificate of approval. The only appeals venue for a final commission decision is the courts.
Although the commission is considered a part of the state Department of Environmental Protection, it acts as an independent agency, as described by the 1989 master plan for the canal park.
Management of the park is a shared effort among the state Division of Parks & Forestry, the state Water Supply Authority, the state Department of Transportation, the state Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, the Office of New Jersey Heritage and the State Planning Commission.
©The Princeton Packet 2001
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