Expanding to Plainsboro

By Eamon Bencivengo
Despite the ominous Ides of March, on March 15^th I accompanied Tom and Shari down to the pastoral landscape of Plainsboro, NJ.  Our task for the day was to meet with the Plainsboro Director of Planning and the Borough Administrator to discuss the potential for constructing a special needs housing project in their municipality.  Our interest in Plainsboro arose in the same manner of many of our other projects: through the collaboration with an active parent of a special needs child living in the community.  Maintaining a healthy collaboration with such parents is a vital component of creating a successful project because municipalities are much more receptive to approving the project if it is supported by local taxpayers.  Therefore, as Tom, Shari, and I walked into the Plainsboro Town Hall, we were accompanied by the mother of a special needs child.  Our meeting with the Borough Administrator and the Director of Planning was very positive, as they were impressed with the renderings of our previous projects and our reputable resume.  Surprisingly, however, we were informed that Plainsboro has large areas of protected land and therefore does not have many parcels of land available which are suitable for new construction.  Yet after the meeting, Tom, Shari, and I identified a few properties potentially suitable for rehabilitation.  Also, the parent who accompanied us to the meeting located some sites of open land that could suit our project needs. So, despite the minor setback, the potential for a special needs housing project in Plainsboro is still strong!