Client: Township of Cranbury, NJ

Overview

As the Township Planner, Phillips Preiss prepared Cranbury’s Master Plan, which recommended amendments to the Zoning Code to help preserve the Township’s rural character and historic Village center while ensuring a fiscally-sustainable future for the Township by encouraging non-residential development opportunities in appropriate locations (e.g., in the vicinity of Route 130).

Results

Following the adoption of the plan, Phillips Preiss worked with the Township Committee on the preparation of zoning amendments to implement plan recommendations and strategies.

Client: Township of Plainsboro,NJ

Overview

Phillips Preiss has provided ongoing planning services to the Township of Plainsboro in connection with the development of a world class health care-oriented mixed-use campus anchored by the University Medical Center of Princeton (UMCP) at Plainsboro on a former industrial property located along Route 1.

Phillips Preiss prepared the area in need of redevelopment investigation in 2007 which qualified the entire industrial site as a redevelopment area and subsequently prepared the redevelopment plan which set forth a detailed regulatory framework and design guidelines for the development of the property.

The firm has since worked with the Township and the redeveloper on amendments to the plan. The vision now is focused on broadening the medical facilities and ancillary uses to be provided within the redevelopment area to include a pediatric care/medical-office facility, a day care center, medical offices, and age-restricted and other residential health care facilities.

Walking paths, open spaces, water features, a green corridor and other common design elements will ensure that physical linkages between the various uses are provided. In addition, the plan is based on the idea that creating an attractive and engaging outdoor environment is beneficial to the health and well-being of not just patients, but also doctors, employees, visitors and other members of the community.

Results

The first project developed to implement the redevelopment plan was the Merwick Care Center, a skilled nursing facility. It was followed by the hospital and medical offices of the UMCP. This building sets a high standard for environmental sustainability in building design by including features such as a high-performance curtain wall system, solar panels, a cogeneration facility, and water-saving fixtures, which create significant reductions in energy and water usage. Subsequently, a 32-acre public park was completed. The redevelopment plan was the recipient of a New Jersey Planning Officials Achievement in Planning Award.

Client: Township of Cranbury, New Jersey

Overview

As Township Planner, Phillips Preiss worked with a subcommittee to develop a new Open Space and Recreation Plan Element of the Cranbury Township Master Plan to guide the acquisition and development of land and facilities for open space and recreation. Phillips Preiss gathered extensive public input through community workshops and stakeholder interviews and analyzed the scheduling, utilization and physical layout of each facility. The resulting plan included a set of recommendations designed to meet the open space and recreational needs of all residents of Cranbury from toddlers to the elderly.

Results

The Planning Board adopted the Plan.

Client: Township of Cranbury, NJ

View of new open space framed by townhouses. Special attention paid to making front and rear facades of townhouses both pedestrian-friendly.

View of the mixed-use retail buildings and public plaza. Rendering by Zampolin Architects.

Overview

Design guidelines and redevelopment plan for a mixed-use infill project. Street-facing retail with apartments overhead, and to the rear, a series of townhouses flanking a new public open space. The guidelines focused on ensuring pedestrian connectivity, active ground-floor uses, and human-scaled architecture. 

Client: Township of Woodbridge, NJ

Street section redesign for Main Street, Woodbridge, adding bicycle lanes, street trees that will grow to a taller height than the current trees, and wider sidewalks with bulb-outs.

Main Street, Woodbridge

The creek-side park in Woodbridge

Overview

Downtown Vision Plan for downtown Woodbridge, NJ. The town has a nearly continuous streetwall of retail stores extending for several blocks, a beautiful creek-front park, and a train station providing direct service into Manhattan. However, the downtown has little foot traffic. While downtown has a large parking supply, it is not allocated or managed efficiently. The design of the streets and private property frontages and facades does not contribute to creating an interesting and intriguing environment for pedestrians. Several large parcels with low-intensity development offered opportunity sites for infill and intensification. Phillips Preiss developed a Vision Plan that spells out a wide range of short- and long-term improvements that would help bring more residents downtown, transform the downtown into a dining destination, and create attractive public spaces to gather and linger.