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Smart Growth Awards Cite Town Center
Robbinsville, Sharbell Among 2010 New Jersey Future Honorees
ROBBINSVILLE, N.J. – Town Center, the mixed-use community that was the first to receive the State Planning Commission’s “center” designation, has again received recognition for promoting responsible land use.
Town Center is one of six projects that will receive 2010 Smart Growth Awards by New Jersey Future, a leading research and policy organization that promotes sustainable growth concepts in planning, redevelopment, transportation and environmental protection. Both Robbinsville Township and Sharbell Development Corp., to date the largest builder in the Town Center zone, were cited.
Awards will be presented June 2, 2010, at The Newark Club in Newark.
“This award could not come at a better time,” said Mayor Dave Fried. “Robbinsville remains committed to the vision of Town Center as a model for responsible land use, and we have been working hard in the past year to fulfill its promise.”
In the past year, Mayor Fried and Tim McGough, the Township’s business administrator and engineer, won commitments from the New Jersey Department of Transportation to complete the transportation network from Washington Boulevard and Route 33 to Route 130. NJDOT agreed to fund the road project more than a decade ago, but for many years those commitments were deferred.
In addition, the Township has restarted the redevelopment process for Town Center South, to spur completion of the remaining parcels. Development stalled in the wake of the financial crisis that began in September 2008.
Winning projects were evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Near existing development and infrastructure
- Increase range of housing options
- Protect or enhance open space, farmland, parks and critical environmental area
- Create or enhance choices for getting around
- Walkable, designed for activities at the street level that encourage personal interaction
- Respects community character, design and historic features
- Create or enhance linkages to existing developments or plans
Mayor Fried noted that unlike prior citations for Town Center, this one shows that the project’s “smart growth” vision has stood the test of time.
“Town Center is now a thriving a community, with a unique atmosphere,” he said. “Residents and visitors fish in the lake and enjoy the summer concert series. It was recently the location for Robbinsville’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade. It’s becoming the draw for the community that its planners intended.”
Ten years ago this week, Sharbell Development Corp. opened its sales center for Washington Town Center at the corner of Route 33 and 526, on a corner now occupied by the Lofts and specialty retail stores that are popular with residents and visitors alike, including DeLorenzo’s Pizza, Injeanous boutique and Maggi Moos ice cream.
Since then, Sharbell estimates that the investment value of the early phases will total $350 million, according to Senior Vice President Tom Troy, who now lives in Town Center.
“Sharbell Development Corp. has been working closely with the current and prior administration and staff of Robbinsville Township for the past 15 years to forge a new model of suburban ‘smart growth.’ We are proud to be recognized by New Jersey Future for our work on this project,” Troy said.
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