Editor’s note: Earlier this summer the West Windsor Township Planning Board preliminarily approved a massive, 5.5 million-square-foot warehouse complex for the site of the former American Cyanamid research facility at Route 1 and Quaker Bridge Road. This project, the Bridge Point 8 Industrial Park, symbolizes not only the scale and pace of warehouse development in New Jersey but also the lack of regional planning and cooperation and the tremendous impacts on quality of life, health, and the environment, not the least of which is the greenhouse gas component. In this article, Kip Cherry, a member of our Chapter’s Executive Committee and conservation chair of the Central Jersey Group, outlines the steps that are needed to help mitigate the harms posed by this development.
By Kip Cherry • Central Jersey Conservation Chair
The following is a summary of next steps related to the approval of Bridge Point 8 Industrial Park. There is much to know, much to shape, much to mitigate, and much to challenge.
Comments to DOT on the State Highway Application
We will send comments to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding the following:
- Traffic requirements and recommendations for circulation and roadway and bridge design to effectuate a direct connection to Route 1 in implementing the property owner’s (Atlantic Realty) highway access application;
- Implications of traffic congestion generated by the site on the region and how it can be mitigated (including identification of conflict areas and potential solutions); and,
- The need for DOT to undertake an open and transparent discussion of potential solutions, their costs, and sources of funding.
For Club members who wish to join this action, here is the relevant contact at the DOT:
Elaine Schwartz, Assistant Division Director, Major Access Permits
Department of Transportation
PO Box 600
Trenton, NJ 08625-0600
609-963-2467
Elaine.Schwartz@dot.nj.gov
Request Preparation of an Access Management Plan
Under the NJ Administrative Code, Section 16:7-12, an access management plan (AMP) provides a multi-stakeholder analysis of circulation, roadway, and bridge design, as well as mass-transit options for a project seeking state highway access (Route 1). It should include cost studies, funding sources, and an implementation schedule, and each participating town should pay a portion of the cost. We will request that affected municipalities and the DOT jointly conduct an AMP that includes county- and county executive-level participation.
Study the Currently Proposed Conditions
The West Windsor Planning Board attached 83 conditions of approval in giving preliminary assent to the Bridge Point application at its meeting in July. These relate to specific aspects of the development plan and help ensure the project is tailored to West Windsor’s specifications. This list is being reviewed and shaped by the planning board’s legal counsel for presentation to the board for ratification as a final resolution with conditions in September. We will continue our study of these conditions.
Not all areas of concern we’ve identified may be covered, so care is needed to ensure these get the proper attention. Traffic congestion is a primary concern, including the need for an AMP; an automated arrival and departure destination system for trucks; a mass transit agreement with NJ Transit; and the identification of area roadway and bridge improvements complete with costs, funding sources, and schedule. Other concerns of great importance include stormwater management, green building design and operation, solar power implementation, green landscaping, dangerous air emissions reduction, and toxic waste identification and cleanup.
We need to develop baseline information in each of these areas, including working with the applicant, the DOT, and county officials in developing credible estimates for large truck, small truck, and automobile traffic to be generated by the site. Also needed is a map identifying hazardous waste locations on the former Cyanamid site.
Previously, we submitted eight proposed detailed conditions for consideration by the planning board. At least one of these, covering the reduction of dangerous air emissions, was adopted word-for-word by the planning board. Most of the conditions are environmental issues and many will involve permits issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection. It is extremely important to identify these applications and weigh in on them, which we are in the process of doing.
Monitoring Implementation of Subgroups
A key step is to start looking with greater detail at affected subgroups to identify partners and stakeholders in each category of our concerns. For example, congestion involves every town abutting West Windsor and requires a great deal of mutual cooperation to manage. Connected to this are the economies and quality of life of the region and its air quality. This is why initiating development of a highway management plan is so important. Naturally counties and the state have major roles to play in identifying solutions that are cost-effective. Important stakeholders, beyond citizens and their elected officials, are key businesses, including Quaker Bridge Mall, which sits on the border of the proposed warehouse development, and area educational institutions.
Other Concerns to Address
Of importance is the management of stormwater runoff and the quality of river water, a key source of drinking water for both West Windsor and Princeton. It is likely that the Watershed Institute will take a lead in the stormwater/drinking water area.
We must also ensure that Bridge Point becomes not only Solar Ready, as one of the first warehouse projects to be subject to the new Solar Ready Act, but also an actual solar power producer. The new law does not require warehouse owners and their tenants to install solar panels or use renewable energy.
In summary, there is a great deal of work to be done and it is critical this work move forward with due diligence and timeliness. We need the participation of elected officials, representatives of environmental groups, local citizens at large, and state and county representatives. We need leadership, factfinding, imaginative solutions, and consensus.