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.

Rendering by Elkus | Manfredi Architects

Client: Borough of Fort Lee, New Jersey

Rendering by Arquitectonica

Overview

Redevelopment Area 5 is a 16-acre site between downtown Fort Lee and the George Washington Bridge approach ramps which has been vacant for 40 years. Phillips Preiss prepared a redevelopment plan for the site which permits 1,377 residential units, 175,000 square feet of retail shops and restaurants, a 175-room hotel, a Borough museum, an art-house movie theater, and publicly accessible open space. The $1 billion project is intended to rejuvenate the Borough’s struggling downtown, create jobs, provide tax revenue to the local and regional economies, and serve as an iconic gateway to Bergen County.

Results

The Fort Lee Planning Board approved major site plan and subdivision applications for the project in the spring of 2012. Phillips Preiss reviewed the development proposals on behalf of the Planning Board.

Client: Township of Montclair, NJ

Overview

Phillips Preiss drafted the Montclair Center Gateway Redevelopment Plan to encourage a mixed-use development at the western edge of Montclair’s downtown which advances its sustainability and Smart Growth agenda. In early 2011, the Township formed a Redevelopment Subcommittee consisting of elected officials, business owners and other members of the Montclair community to work with Phillips Preiss on crafting the plan. A series of public meetings were held to gain input from the community on their vision for the site. A widely felt aspiration to attract a hotel to downtown Montclair, which could serve its cultural arts institutions, businesses and local residents, resulted in a density bonus provision in the plan. In fulfillment of Montclair Township’s environmental sustainability agenda, the project requires a minimum level of LEED certification, which must include on-site renewable energy facilities (i.e., roof-mounted solar panels), green roof areas and public transportation access (i.e., shuttles to train stations).

Results

Since the adoption of the plan, the Township has designated Pinnacle Companies as the redeveloper. Pinnacle and the Township are currently moving forward on the first phase of the project.

Clients: Numerous New Jersey municipalities

Overview

Phillips Preiss provides affordable housing planning services to numerous municipalities. We have a comprehensive understanding of the 1985 Fair Housing Act, the 2024 Amended Fair Housing Act, rules generated by the defunct Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) which remain valid, and the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls (UHAC) including its recent amendments. We have successfully guided municipal clients through the State man-dated process which involves analysis and rebuttal of affordable housing numbers issued by the Department of Community Affairs; discussions in front of the Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution Program with Fair Share Housing Center and other interest parties regarding municipal obligations; identification of appropriate sites for affordable housing; recommendations for fair share compliance mechanisms tailored to each municipality’s individual circumstances and built context; negotiations with interested affordable housing developers regarding densities, scale, housing types, and bulk standards; utilization of the Highlands Council Build-Out portal; preparation of vacant land adjustments; drafting of fair share plans and implementing ordinances; presentations of municipal plans at public meet-ings; and ongoing compliance work with the ultimate goal of a Court granted judgment of compliance and repose protecting our client municipalities from the threat of Builders’ Remedy lawsuits until 2035.

Client: Village of Larchmont, NY

Overview

Phillips Preiss worked for the Village of Larchmont, NY to prepare zoning and design guidelines for a residential neighborhood with large-lot single-family homes, challenging topography, and waterfront views. The firm's efforts focused on mitigating height, mass, and perceived bulk of single-family homes, particularly new construction. Revisions to zoning code and subdivision standards included grading, retaining walls, location and screening of parking, and building bulk and articulation. 

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.