Bordentown Twp. Transit Project
Gets Federal Grant
By Edward Colimore
Inquirer Staff Writer

A developer was given approval earlier this year to begin work on a $175 million project that calls for a new station on the RiverLine in Bordentown Township and a surrounding "transit village."

And Friday brought more progress: the announcement of a $250,000 federal grant approved for the design and construction of the stop, the first new one on the NJ Transit rail line since its start in 2004.

Slowly, groundwork is being laid for the Bordentown Waterfront Community in the southernmost section of the Burlington County township.
The first shovel is expected to be pushed into the ground at the end of this year or the beginning of 2011.

"This is the type of investment that will help rebuild our community for the 21st-century economy," U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) said Friday of the grant that he and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.) helped secure.

"By supporting public transportation and communities with easy access to it, we are helping to create jobs, reduce energy costs, and clear the air we breathe."
The federal funding for the improvements is "critical to the project's success," said Bordentown Township Mayor Bruce Hill, who joined Menendez at a news conference Friday.

"The Waterfront Transit Village will be the gateway to Bordentown Township and an important transit hub for the region," Hill said.

The 100-acre site - on the bank of the Delaware - is bounded by the river and Newbold Island to the west; Route 130 to the east; Mansfield Township to the south; and Fieldsboro to the north.

The property is a brownfield that has been vacant since the 1980s, and part of it now requires an environmental cleanup; some land had been used for industrial operations and ship dismantling and salvage.

In the hope of revitalizing the area, Bordentown Township designated it in 2005 for redevelopment. A redevelopment plan was adopted in 2008 and a site plan was approved last year.

Bordentown Waterfront Community L.L.C., the redeveloper, planned a transit village with 674 units, some of them with views of the river. They will include rental apartments, townhouses in two- to four-story buildings, and affordable housing in partnership with Lutheran Social Ministries. The plan also calls for shops and restaurants.
" It will appeal to a broad spectrum of the marketplace - from young professionals to older couples," said developer Jeffrey Albert, who has not yet set prices for the units. "The commuting by rail and car is unparalleled.

"You'll be close to the New Jersey Turnpike, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension, 295 and 195," he said. "And you have access to the whole Northeast Corridor by taking light rail to Trenton and heading south to PATCO and Center City Philadelphia."

The new train station - centerpiece of the transit village - and nearby highway improvements at the intersection of Route 130 and Burlington-Bordentown Road (County Route 622) will cost about $11 million, officials said. The RiverLine serves 19 municipalities between Camden and Trenton, including the city of Bordentown.
Other planned changes include a public waterfront boardwalk, trails, a Heritage Bike Trail, sidewalks, and lighting.

The first phase of the project - which is not in an area that requires cleanup - will involve construction of apartments, a pool, and a clubhouse.

Overall, the transit-village work will create 950 jobs during construction and require about $9 million worth of building materials in the area, as well $28 million from outside the region, officials said. About 75 people will have jobs in the new community.

"This is a difficult time; the financial markets are not hospitable quite yet, but I expect them to improve," said Albert, who heads Princewood Properties in Princeton and Bordentown Waterfront Community L.L.C.

"When there is job creation, there is a demand for housing and real estate in general," he said. "I think we have turned the corner in the last few months - and we're not long from creating an attractive community."

Contact staff writer Edward Colimore at 856-779-3833 or ecolimore@phillynews.com.