Councilman Urging Residents to Stay Informed About Large Office Concept on Kingston Border

South Brunswick officials are keeping a close eye on a concept for a large research facility that has the potential to negatively impact traffic in the township, though no formal application has been filed.  

South Brunswick was informed last week of a concept plan for the Princeton Research Triangle, a possible office and laboratory facility near the far southern tip of Franklin Township on the border of Kingston.  The concept calls for a facility to house over 50,000 workers and to be located on a 2,160 acre site on Route 518 in Franklin Township, which connects to Route 27 in the Kingston area.  Major access to the facility would be from Route 27 in South Brunswick.  

Though the township received notice that any discussions for the Princeton Research Triangle should include South Brunswick due to the major impact it could have on traffic in the area, Franklin officials said there has been no formal proposal submitted and the facility is just a concept at this point.

"We don't have any formal proposal for this but there was some discussion at the concept level several months ago," said Franklin Township Director of Planning Mark Healey.  "There is a concept for a large scale office and research-type facility but they haven't submitted anything.  The area where they've discussed it for isn't zoned for anything like that and it's not in a sewer service area, so a whole bunch of things would have to happen to get the project moving.  I think there's just some folks who have an idea and they're putting it out there, but nobody at (Franklin) township has heard anything in months."

Still, township officials are determined to keep a close eye on the possibility for the project.  South Brunswick Councilman John O’Sullivan has formed the coalition South Brunswick Concerned About the Triangle (SBCAT), in order to keep township residents informed about the concept.

“I’m concerned about the impact of this massive development on the quality of life in South Brunswick,” O’Sullivan said.  “Currently the traffic in the area is horrendous during peak commuting hours.  Imagine what it will be like during the construction and build out.  Then there will be the on-going traffic when the center is fully built out.  Feeder roads to Route 1 like Ridge, Raymond, New, Sandhill and Beekman will be flooded with traffic.  It will be twice daily gridlock.” 

O'Sullivan said one of his major concerns would be that Franklin and Somerset County would reap the financial benefits of the facility while South Brunswick would only see traffic buildup.  Mayor Frank Gambatese said he was concerned about the prospects of the facility, but said it could be 20 years before it's built, if the plan even moves past the concept phase and into a formal application.

O'Sullivan is urging residents to stay informed about the concept.

“It is important that the citizens of South Brunswick be aware of, and informed about, this huge development," he said.  "Therefore I am initiating a coalition to disseminate information about it."

Information from SBCAT will be available via e-mail notices.  To be added to the distribution list, e-mail your request to sbcat.info@gmail.com.