New town center proposed in Dayton
Mixed-use concept met with skepticism by council, neighbors
BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer

This artist's rendering, on file with the township, shows a basic concept of what developer Richardson Properties Corp. would like to build on a vacant Dayton tract near the Stop & Shop.

A proposal for a new village in Dayton consisting of retail, offices and housing has been met with caution and skepticism by township officials and residents.

While members of the council have said they will review the concept in more detail, they expressed strong doubts about the benefits of the project being touted by the developer.

The proposal, brought forth by Pennsylvania-based Richardson Properties Corp., would create a mixed-use town center on a 49-acre tract near the intersection of Routes 522 and 130, of which 25 would be developed. An attorney for the firm, Henry Kent-Smith, stressed that everything that was being presented was only a concept, with no provisions set in stone.

Directly to the west is Fresh Ponds Village, currently owned by Richardson Properties. To the north is Stop & Shop. To the south is Dayton Auto Center. To the east, across Route 522, is the Accutest Laboratory.

RICHARDSON PROPERTIES CORP. Proposal for a Fresh Ponds Village in the Dayton section of South Brunswick.

Essentially, the proposal would create a pedestrian-friendly Main Street with small shops, townhouses, apartments and several places for public gatherings, such as a gazebo and clubhouse. The western edge of the project would be three-story residences, the southwestern edge would be two-story residences, and the remainder would be mixed-use. Stormwater would be controlled through the construction of a large pond around the northeastern corner of the lot. Landscaping throughout will contribute to the town-center feel, with well-manicured lawns and rows of trees.

At the moment, the area is an empty lot zoned for office use, but Kent-Smith said that it would "bring people into this property to create a kind of community." For comparison, he said that it would be similar, though still markedly different, to the town center in neighboring Plainsboro. When pressed for further examples, the Florida town of Celebrations, which was created from the ground up by Disney, was also cited.

The key to creating a successful village, said Kent-Smith, was the integration with the surrounding areas, which he said Dayton was particularly well suited for. This, he said, was due to the fact that the lot is close to both residential and commercial areas, which lends itself well to a series of pedestrian walkways that can snake through the surrounding properties allowing people to access the town center by foot. This fact will further reinforce the neighborhood feel that the firm hopes to create with this project.

"We want to be part of the neighborhood," said Kent-Smith.

The council's reaction to the proposed village was cool at best. Many members said that while they were willing to hear the plan out further, they were skeptical of the concept for a variety of reasons, not the least of which included density and traffic.

"I get a little worried. ... There's these wonderful, slick marketing terms [like Village Concept] but they're really just names for high density," said Councilman Chris Killmurray, a Dayton resident.

Density is an issue for the Dayton Village Citizens Coalition (DVCC), a local advocacy group for the area. In an interview Tuesday, coalition member Dr. Joan Luckhardt said that the company had tried to sell residents on the concept before, but it was viewed unfavorably, again, due to the high density in the area, as well as concerns about additional traffic.

"I got the impression they were trying to throw everything and the kitchen sink in the plan," Luckhardt said. She added that she would prefer to see the township focus more on open space in Dayton than further development.

Councilman Charles Carley said that the village concept seemed to go against the general land-use trends that South Brunswick had been trying to follow, mostly with regard to reducing density. He said it was similar to a high-density transit village proposal that had previously been floated before the council, with one notable difference.

"It appears to be a transit village without the transit," Carley said.

Nearby Indian Fields Elementary School was also a point of concern. Council members expressed worry that a village would add to what was said to already be a high traffic area. There was also a concern that it would further strain the school district's infrastructure, as more housing tends to bring more students.

"Our schools are already bursting at the seams," said Carley.

Rebecca Leonard, a spokesperson with the school district, said that they had not been aware of the village plan and did not feel they could comment in good faith as a result.

Mayor Frank Gambatese agreed with the rest of the council that caution is needed before anything is agreed to, but said that if the village also includes affordable and senior housing, it might be something worth investigating.

"With any senior or affordable housing, people would have some places where they could walk to where they shop. ... I'm not espousing or am in favor of it, I'm just saying," Gambatese said.

The proposal's eventual future is uncertain, but the township has agreed to further hear it out. Killmurray said that it would be best if a meeting with the DVCC could be arranged to discuss how they feel about this matter.

"We need to have a very comprehensive review," said Gambatese.