Clarity: What Cranbury should do with the PNC Bank Property...

[Guest]

[Jeff M.]

First, we already have an antique shop. The town is not a New Hope. We need to bring people in like the Hardware store, Pharmacy, Deli did.

Second, Main St. parking is not an issue at all. I've lived here many, many years and had to drive in with my parents growing up and then myself. Yes, you may not get a parking spot in front of the business you want to visit, but somewhere in town you'll find a spot. There are never any cars parked on S. Main just past the lake.

Third, the bank cannot be torn down because it is in the historic district. That is a moot point of discussion. Nor can it be modified from the way it looks.

[parking]

Lack of parking may not be a problem; laziness of shoppers is. The PNC site has a special appeal for Main St. shops in terms of parking: close to shops.

I bet majority of those in favor of the purchase (and hence gaining control of all the parking spaces) are connected to Main St. business directly or indirectly.

[a Cranbury Voter]

[Guest]

The problem is those majority TC members think being on the TC means they get to support each others "pet" projects and get the Township to spend tax dollars for things they and their allies want even if they only benefit a small minority of the community. Mayor Stout has a daugher in softball and wanted a new field for her to play so suddenly our tax dollars are paying for the remediation and operating costs of a Babe Ruth field few will benefit from, instead of just leaving it as preserved land that would cost us nothing and look more attractive.

The Cranbury TC used to be fairly non-political, as it should be for a Township as small as ours. But since Stout, it has become uber-political. He refuses to even appoint people to committees unless they are a Democrat pledging to support him.

Mayor Stout is to Cranbury what Bush is the the U.S.A. -- both have brough their offices to new all-time lows.

There, now I have managed to offend both Democrats and Republicans, but that's fine because I speak the truth and it shouldn't be about party politics in the first place...

[Guest]

Thank God that the TC does not control all media outlets and we still have freedom of press and speech in this country.

Let's expose any TC candidates and members whose interest is not to serve Cranbury instead is to support their pet projects and to benefit their connections. This kind of people do deserve public trust!

[toenailcake]

The reason why we have that new ball field is because voters voted for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have no problem with people SUGGESTING that we have a new ball field. What gets my goat is that the silly idea actually passed!!!!!!!!!!!
What are you people thinking??????????????
Baseball is nice, but the cost is ridiculous.
Should've been spent at the school. They are hurting for more space. They are storing things in the hallways!!!!!!!!
Why didn't they think of more storage space during the LAST addition???????????????
If you're going to add-on, do it all at once!!!!!!!!!!!!The longer you wait, the more expensive it gets. It's cheaper to add on earlier than later. In the long run anyway.

[publius]

Hardware store, Pharmacy,Deli??????????????????????????????

umm.....................................we have already HAD those businesses here and they folded up! Get with the times. Economics dictates what sort of businesses can go into a downtown nowadays. The bank moved for the same reasons. Smalltown-Downtown America is struggling. Everything is now BIG BOX INC. , located on the highway so as to get more traffic. It's nice to think of the Leave it to Beaver, halcyon days of yore, but things have changed old-timer. Only a few WELL-CHOSEN retail models can work in downtown anymore. Restaurants, clothing store, jewelry stores and ONLY places which sell fairly-unique, hard-to-find items which also appeal to a more upmarket buyer. If not, they'll just go to BIG BOX INC. to get it, or order it online.
What do you have against antique shops anyway? Afraid that they'll bring in the "wrong" kind of people? Mostly, people over 30 with money to spend. OOOOOOOOOOH!!! HOW SCARY!
One shop does not a New Hope make. Are you afraid of bikers coming through town to shop for Tiffany lamps?
I know that some of the old-time townies would like to live in some sort of ossified Shangri-La. But, if you want your merchants to be able to make a living, you'll have to be more creative. This is not 1950, you know.

[Jeff M.]

First off, I don't recall the ball field ever being on a referendum. I do recall that the TC pushed it through.

Publius, your attitude is really rather annoying here and in other posts when people disagree with you. Why do you have to attack instead of discuss? This forum has been pretty good with solid comments.

You stated we need an antique shop and that they will attract other antique shops and buyers. "The thing about antique shops is that once you have one in place, you can usually get others to locate nearby as well. "- publius

My comment was in respect to that statement. If you'll notice we have a home store which came in a few years ago and David Well's has been operating for many years as a solid business. Before that there was an antique store across from the Methodist church. However, there has been no influx of additional buyers or these types of stores.

I like New Hope quite a bit. What I am saying is that Cranbury is not the type of town that can recreate a New Hope. New Hope is a unique town that has developed over many years. Our best bet is to follow the Allentown or Jamesburg model. Which has stores people need to get things from Hardware, Pharmacy and Deli. Those have repeat customers and people who will go in and buy things repeatedly.

The bank moved because they bought Yadville who had just built a location on Rt. 130. Had that acquistion not been made they would not have moved away from town. It was a pure dollars move. You don't leave a new building on Rt.130 near a hotel to keep the older building.


And by the way I am in my 30's, I am far from an old timer age wise.

[Guest]

I also do not recall there being a referendum for the ball field. Stave, Stannard, Panconi and then-committeeman-elect Stout all were in favor of it. I believe that Stave stated at the time that there was a "critical mass" of townspeople in favor of the field. I'm not sure what was used to measure "critical mass" - maybe the 200 people who attended the meeting about the ball field were considered the critical mass. Perhaps that is why Stave thought that having a lot of people who were in favor of the PNC bank purchase discussion attend the meeting could help justify their purchase of it. I guess she underestimated the amount of people who would be against it.

[Guest]

about that meeting. The league organized people so of the 200 people, there were some who were plainsboro residents as well.

It seems that the TC ignores emails or in person talks if they go against their view and focus on the people at the meeting. That way they can say the majority of residents want this or that.

[Guest]

I agree that they go by the people who attend the meeting. I emailed my opposition to the purchase of the PNC bank building, and at the meetings, the views of emailers were not even mentioned.

Hopefully, we can leave this issue behind and focus on keeping NJ from becoming a welfare state, where everyone who has worked hard will be forced out and any equity in our homes (especially newer residents) will be completely lost.

[Guest]

[Lotsa Parking]

Before anyone get's on my case for bringing up PNC again I just wanted to add another reason to end the citizen discussion once and for all.

On the busiest day in Cranbury (5th of July) I drove into town, saw lots of parking on South Main on my way, saw some folks park behind the historic sociaty building, not sure how crowded it got since I passed it, but just 15min before the fireworks, I found parking near the Town hall (maybe at the peak it was only 5%-10% filled at that point) I then walked about 3min and saw the PNC parking filled (it was closer after all those lazy revellers right?) Does this mean we have a parking problem?,

NOT - Nooooo way is there a problem. Cranbury has plenty of parking throughout the town, tons of parking by the town hall. Stop it with PNC already, rip up the petition someone please!!!

[Guest]

If parking is a problem maybe the people who will benefit from this should purchase the property. Or all the people who want the town to buy this property should form a corp. and purchase it . Everytime I go by it is half full of cars from the business next door why don't they buy it?

[publius]

To Jeff M.

Whats wrong with a little heated discussion? I'd rathe NOT be dry & boring in my posts. Would you prefer that we went by Robert's Rules and put EVERYONE to sleep? I'm sorry if I offended your gentile sensibilities, but we're not living in a Victorian novel. If I have opinions, i will express them. If they offend you, perhaps, it's better not to read them then. I tend to go for the jugular. I don't know why people don't go for the carotid instead of the jugular, but, I like to use sarcasm & humor to make a point. Try living a little bit on the edge. It's fun out here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!