myCentralJersey.com

January 30, 2010

By JARED KALTWASSER • STAFF WRITER

North Brunswick transit village presentation, discussion slated for resident Feb. 11

NORTH BRUNSWICK — The Township Council will hold a special meeting on Feb. 11 to give residents a chance to see and comment on the recently completed transit village traffic study.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of North Brunswick Township High School, 98 Raider Road. Residents will see a presentation on proposed improvements to Route 1 which are designed to mitigate increased traffic caused by the potential development of the first phase of a transit village proposed for the former Johnson & Johnson site at Aaron Road and Route 1.

Mayor Francis "Mac" Womack said the meeting will give residents the latest information as township officials continue to consider the matter.

"Adding big box stores on Route 1 is something that residents need to evaluate for themselves," Womack said.

Developer TOD Associates is seeking to transform the former Johnson & Johnson site into a transit village which is to include an NJ Transit train station along the Northeast Corridor line. Since NJ Transit has yet to commit to building the station (and thus the completion of a train station is several years away, at least), TOD Associates is seeking to build the project in two phases.

The first phase would include two big box stores, a hotel, mixed-use retail stores and the first block of a planned "Main Street," which would include a mix of commercial and residential space.

Before changing the zoning to allow the Phase One development, the township ordered a traffic study to see the traffic impacts of and possible fixes for both phases of the development. The Township Council was presented with the findings on Jan. 20.

Womack said he wants the process to be as open as possible and receive as much input as possible.

"I just think we owe it to residents to do as much as possible to let them know up front everything we know about the project so they can be heard and the mayor and council will have the benefit of knowing what the residents think of this project," he said.

Jared Kaltwasser: 732-565-7263; jkaltwasser@MyCentralJersey.com

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Township Council meeting to present transit village traffic study and hear public comment

WHEN: 7 p.m. Feb. 11

WHERE: North Brunswick Township High School Auditorium, 96 Raider Road

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.northbrunswickonline.com