"East Windsor Memories"
Trenton Times Story:
Developer may park homes at former race track site
Thursday, November 03, 2005
By ROSE Y. COLON
Staff Writer
EAST WINDSOR - Two years after the East Windsor Speedway was shut down and race cars left the township, officials are reviewing a proposal to convert the property on Airport Road into a development of 53 single-family houses.
The Robertson Douglas Group of Eatontown wants to transform the 47-acre speedway property and former airport into an expanse of homes with two-car garages on half-acre lots. Douglas was the architect of two other local developments: Hightstown's Enchantment and Windsor Crossing.
Built in 1965, the track originally was called Hightstown Speedway and also went by the name Acela Speedway. Advancing residential development, declining revenues and the age of its most recent owner spelled doom for the business. Though it once roared with modified stock cars and the applause of fans, the oval band of oil-saturated dirt is silent now. The land surrounding the track, once farmland, has become home to a housing development and a Home Depot.
The upscale units Douglas wants to build would range from 2,800 to 3,600 square feet and would feature a variety of options, such as sun-rooms and greenhouses, Mayor Janice Mironov said during a telephone interview. The cost of a home would start about $600,000, according to Frederick Paterson, vice president of the Douglas Group.
The proposal also includes trails that would link the housing development to adjoining communities and a 6-foot fence along Airport Road to shield residents from traffic, Mironov said. If the planning board approves the proposal, the developer would dedicate two portions of the speedway property to open space.
"Robertson Douglas would donate two parcels to open space, one for 9 acres and another for 4 acres, part of which would be used for recreational purposes," Mironov said. Asked if the flooding that occurred at the speedway during heavy rains posed a problem for developing the land, Mironov said environmental studies would be conducted by the developer to determine what can be built.
The proposed development has stirred concern among East Windsor Regional school board members who wonder how the population influx would affect school enrollment. Susan Lloyd, a school board member and Hightstown resident, wondered at a school board meeting last week if there were something the developer could do to contribute a school building to the district. School Superintendent Ronald Bolandi said he is concerned about homes being built on soil that has been saturated for decades with oil from race cars.
Don Jones, owner of the speedway, could not be reached for comment. The proposal is expected to be discussed at a planning board meeting at 8 p.m. Monday. NOTE: Contact Rose Y. Colon at rcolon@njtimes.com or at (609) 989-5702.