Cranbury Warehouse Development
Monroe Mayor Voices Concerns about Additional Cranbury Warehouse Development on Monroe Border
MONROE TOWNSHIP – May 3, 2019 –Monroe Mayor Gerald W. Tamburro is expressing strong concern that additional warehouse development, on the Monroe border would negatively impact residents and neighborhoods in both communities.
To help protect residents from increased truck traffic, poor aesthetics, excessive noise and other concerns, Monroe officials have developed a professional study of an area, which is located between Hightstown - Cranbury Station Road and Halsey Reed Road in the Southwest Corner of Cranbury. The findings were presented in late April to a subcommittee of the Cranbury Planning Board, which is reviewing that township’s master plan.
Of great concern is the fact that the 408-acre area that abuts Halsey Reed Road, which is currently farmland, is now zoned for light industrial use, which means that more mega-warehouses could be built on the border of Monroe in Cranbury. Such development would create even more traffic, particularly tractor trailer traffic, on Monroe and Cranbury streets. The size and scope of such industrial development would be incompatible with the surrounding area and the adjacent communities of Stratford as well as Renaissance Cranbury Crossing in Monroe. It would also greatly impact the Monroe and Cranbury residents on Old Halsey Reed Road.
“It is my sincere hope that our friends in Cranbury realize the potential impact of warehousing on this site,” said Monroe Mayor Gerald W. Tamburro. “We consistently hear concerns from residents about the traffic generated on our streets from warehouses in neighboring Cranbury. We lose quality of life, while paying for the expense of road maintenance, to benefit companies that pay taxes to a neighboring community. It is unfair, it is not right, and we will do everything we can to educate Cranbury about the impacts of these large warehouses on the entire region.”
Mark Remsa, a consulting planner for Monroe who developed the study, said the property abuts the Stratford housing development in Monroe. A warehouse and associated trucks and employee traffic would negatively affect the quality of life for adjacent residents from Cranbury and Monroe. It is his recommendation that the farmland be used for low-density residential construction, with an agricultural mix, ensuring any potential development enhances the surrounding residential neighborhoods in Monroe and the historical hamlet of Cranbury Station in Cranbury.
Remsa notes that approximately 75 percent of the study area comprises wetlands, which is likely why the land remains essentially undeveloped. There are also no sewer lines near the area, which would require any developer to incur considerable expense to construct a labyrinth of infrastructure.
Traffic remains a top concern. There is a rural road network within the parcel that would have to be greatly expanded to handle substantially-increased traffic volume, including more tractor trailers. It would be difficult to expand the road system because of wetlands. In addition, it would be a challenge to upgrade the nearby Hightstown-Cranbury Station Road because of existing development built to the road’s edge
Remsa said that residents on Ely Drive/Halsey Reed Road in Monroe could take the brunt of any major development, as this road connecting Halsey Reed Road to Station Road could become a significant thoroughfare. Monroe would fight any connections to Ely/Halsey Reed Road and Old Halsey Reed Road.
The planner urges Cranbury officials to focus on maintaining the rural or residential character of that neighborhood, while maximizing the use of remaining farmland for viable business opportunities.
All media inquiries may be directed to the Monroe Township’s Public Information Officer Stacey Kennedy at 732-521-4400 or