The Lawrence Township Council has paved the way for the redevelopment of the Princeton Pike Office Park at 3131 Princeton Pike.
The Township Council approved an ordinance 3-2 to adopt a redevelopment plan for the Princeton Pike Office Park through an ordinance at its Dec. 5 meeting. Township Councilmen Christopher Bobbitt, Jim Kownacki and Michael Powers voted “yes.” Mayor John Ryan and Councilwoman Catie MacDuff voted “no.”
The approval caps a multi-step process that grew out of a would-be developer’s proposal to redevelop the office park into a mixture of residential and commercial uses. A presentation was made to Township Council in November 2022.
Township planning consultant Beth McManus outlined the redevelopment plan for Township Council and the public at the meeting.
The 27-acre office park has 500 feet of frontage on Princeton Pike, McManus said. The six office buildings are partially occupied. The overall vacancy rate was 42% in 2021, she said.
The Princeton Pike Office Park was declared a non-condemnation area in need of redevelopment in recognition of changes in the office market earlier this year, McManus said.
Three of the six office buildings would be demolished and replaced with a mixed-use development that combines residential and retail uses, she said. The remaining three office buildings would not be affected.
McManus said the objective is to revitalize an aging office park with new uses and development options that are more responsive to market conditions. The Princeton Pike Office Park was built in 1970.
It would create a new neighborhood center for the residents and employees at the site, as well as for nearby residents and office workers, she said. It would present an alternative to the businesses on Route 1.
Redevelopment of the office park would create diverse housing options for a range of incomes and household sizes, McManus said. There could be as many as 205 rental apartments – 15% set aside for very low-, low- and moderate-income households.
The two office buildings that face Princeton Pike would be replaced with two mixed-use buildings, McManus said. The concept plan calls for stores or restaurants on the first floor and apartments on the second floor.
The office building behind the two existing office buildings would be demolished and replaced with a three-story apartment building, she said.
During the public hearing on the ordinance, resident Greg Puliti said the site only met two of the seven criteria for a property to be declared in need of redevelopment under the state’s redevelopment law.
Puliti also questioned why the Princeton Pike Office Park was being rezoned now, since the township is about to undertake the creation of a new municipal Master Plan. The office park is zoned O (Office).
The three office buildings at the front of the office park are being rezoned to permit residential and commercial uses that include retail stores, convenience stores, restaurants, taverns and bars, and indoor recreational facilities such as health clubs and spas.
Resident Olympia Perry, who is a Township Councilwoman-elect, also asked why redevelopment of the office park could not wait until after the new Master Plan is adopted by the Planning Board next year.
McManus said creating a new Master Plan is a lengthy process and it would likely not be adopted until late 2024. It is a detriment to have vacancies, and waiting to take action would mean another year of deterioration for the office park, she said.
Municipal Manager Kevin Nerwinski, who is also the township’s Community Development director, said the redevelopment process began when the developer approached the township last year. Discussions involved municipal staff members.
The developer has spent a lot of time on the process, Nerwinski said. It would be easy to say wait for the Master Plan, but there is no guarantee that development would occur. This developer is motivated, he said.
“Change is inevitable, and the office park is not going to come back,” Nerwinski said. “This is a situation where it would be an improvement for the community.
“We think it is win-win.”
The next step is for the developer to file an application, which would be heard by the Lawrence Township Planning Board.
