Lawrence ‘Deeply Concerned’ About Huge Warehouse Project In Mercer Co.

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ – Officials in Lawrence Township said they are “deeply concerned” about the massive warehouse project planned on the corner of Route 1 and Quaker Bridge Road.

The West Windsor Planning Board approved the 5.5 million square feet warehouse project in June.

Residents say the development will cause traffic nightmares in nearby towns like Lawrence and Princeton and on Route 1. More: Anger Erupts After Approval Of Massive Mercer Co. Warehouse Project

The project now needs approval from the County's Planning Board before it moves forward.

Lawrence Township Manager Kevin Nerwinski recently wrote to the Mercer County Planning Board officials and to the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Requesting a meeting with County officials, Nerwinski said Lawrence officials were concerned about the project and “want to ensure that the impacts are minimized in Lawrence.”

“Lawrence Officials are concerned about truck restrictions though West Windsor as this traffic pattern will potentially increase traffic on Quakerbridge Road and Grover's Mill Road. These concerns will be further exacerbated if NJDOT restricts access from US Route 1 as they have currently indicated in their initial review of the project,” Nerwinski said.

“As I'm sure you are aware, Grover's Mill Road is not suitable for truck traffic as it doesn't have direct access to US Route 1 without using Renaissance Boulevard or the Quakerbridge Mall Outer Ring Road, both private roadways.”

The West Windsor Planning Board approved the Bridge Point 8 application with several conditions including truck restrictions on Clarksville Road through West Windsor.

Clarksville Road is under County jurisdiction. “It is my understanding, from conversations between your office and our Township Engineer, that the County may not support these restrictions,” Nerwinski said.

In a separate letter to NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, Nerwinski said township officials “want to ensure that adequate roadway improvements are required to mitigate the additional traffic.”

In both letters, the township manager requested officials to include Lawrence Township in the application review process.

Nerwinksi told Patch that the proposed installation of a new access point from US Route 1 and the required changes to County roads are “significant and present serious issues.”

“The Lawrence Township elected officials are deeply concerned about the negative impact on our community if the site is developed as approved. Our most effective advocacy is best directed towards NJDOT and Mercer County as they work through the developer’s traffic-related applications,” he said.

Nerwinski already met with Mercer County Executive Brain M Hughes and his staff last week to discuss the Township’s concerns and “left the meeting confident that we will have a voice in their process.”

A meeting with NJDOT officials is yet to be scheduled but the township is pressing for participation in the review process. They expect to meet with NJDOT officials in the coming weeks, Nerwinski said.

“We intend to engage our own traffic expert to scrutinize the proposed changes to the state and county roads and advocate for a result that is in the best interests of our community,” Nerwinski said.

The project, called Bridge point 8 Industrial Park, will include seven warehouse buildings and is expected to be completed in two phases. Phase I involves developing three warehouse buildings of 3 million square feet and the construction of a new road from the intersection of Quakerbridge Road and Avalon Way through the intersection of Route 1 and Nassau Park Boulevard.

In Phase II of the project, four warehouses measuring 2 million square feet will be built.

Last month, County officials told Patch that the warehouse application in its current form was incomplete. More: Massive Warehouse Development Faces Mercer County Scrutiny

The county said it has no jurisdiction over establishing specific land use or square footage of a development project. In other words, the County's legal authority in the matter is quite limited.

"The County Planning Board's legal authority is limited to the impact of development on individual County Roads, the Regional County Road Network and County drainage structures," County's Deputy Director of Communication, Michael Boonin had said.

"County Planning and Engineering staff review and develop conditions of approval that will mitigate, to the greatest extent possible, the effects of the proposed development on County infrastructure."

Lawrence Township is not alone in expressing concerns over the massive warehouse. Princeton Council took note of the proposed development and said they were keeping an eye on the situation especially since it has the potential to impact traffic in the Municipality.

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