Developer R. Black Global envisions a mix of residential, retail and public spaces
HIGHTSTOWN -- In its heyday between the two World Wars, the Hightstown Rug Co. prospered as one of the borough's most important employers, providing jobs to many residents and making rugs and later parachutes.
But the onetime mill has sat vacant for decades since its last tenant, light bulb manufacturer Philips Lighting Co., shut down the complex in 1987.
Proposals to redevelop the seven-acre industrial site have come and gone, but borough officials are hopeful the latest plan that was unveiled Monday will come to fruition.
An artist's rendering of the proposed "Mills at Hightstown" on the former rug mill site. (Courtesy of Looney Ricks Kiss) "It can be a reality quite quickly relative to what we have all lived through in the past," Council President Denise "Denny" Hansen said. "It's going to be the flame that Hightstown needs to start making the town change and be something that we want to see it be."
The project is a joint venture between developer R. Black Global and CPTW Hightstown, LLC, which closed on the property in April. A redevelopment agreement is still being negotiated.
Hoping to make the development a destination, R. Black Global executive Ryan Cowell envisions a mix of residential, retail and public spaces.
"I think it changes the borough," he said. "I think it ties both sides of Main Street together and makes it a walking town."
The project would unfold along the Rocky Brook, connecting the former rug mill site with Main Street and Rocky Brook Park. It would also tie into the downtown lakefront plan that the borough hopes to make a reality.
"This vision solves many issues and creates many benefits," said Jim Constantine, a principal planner with Looney Ricks Kiss, the Princeton firm that worked with R. Black Global to draw up the concept plan.
"The Mills at Hightstown" would consist of a gathering space surrounded by a new municipal building, the existing firehouse and rental apartment buildings with shops and restaurants on the ground floors.
"It'll be very happening," said Gonzalo Echeverria, a senior associate with the firm. "With people living above, it's alive 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which is something that you need in downtown. You need to see that activity and that's what we're proposing here."
A new building would bring together Borough Hall and the police and fire departments under one roof and provide the town with a new home after council abandoned its efforts to rebuild or renovate the flood-ravaged building.
The firehouse, which Echeverria called "one of the most emblematic buildings" in the town, would stay put, but instead be used for a year-round public market or another community use.
There would also be an opportunity for the Hightstown-East Windsor Historical Society to connect to the project with an annex.
Echeverria envisions the public square and other green spaces becoming a gathering spot for residents and visitors alike.
At the other end, the mill buildings would be converted into modern industrial-looking lofts aimed at singles, young couples and empty-nesters. The ground floors would house artists' studios and workshops.
All told, there could be as many as 170 units. A 400-space parking garage would be tucked away behind another building and other parking spaces would be added elsewhere on the site and on the street.
The development, Constantine said, would help attract new residents and visitors with spending power to support other downtown businesses.
Residents applauded the design, but some expressed concerns about parking, how it would affect taxes and the "nightmare" that would be created by a proposed access point from Stockton Street.
"I like what I see, but the proverbial devil is always in the details," J.P. Gibbons said.
He said the project should be expanded to include the warehouse on the corner of Bank and North Academy streets.
"Why would someone want to buy a condo or beautiful apartment in a fully reconstructed facility when you've got a warehouse sitting right next to them?" he said.
Councilman Steve Misiura said the developer has expressed a desire in acquiring the warehouse.
Resident Gene Sarafin said though he would have preferred only residential and commercial uses, he said he's happy the development is getting off the ground.
"I'm glad we've got it going," he said. "I'm glad we have a beginning."
Councilman Charles "Lee" Stults , who used the rug mill as his thesis project when he was an architecture student in 1995, praised the design. He said it is the first proposal he has seen that made a connection to Main Street -- something he failed to do in his thesis.
"What this can do to change our downtown and the fact that all the pieces that have been missing -- be it Borough Hall, police -- can be wrapped into one again, it's amazing," he said. "This is just the concept level, but it's the best thing I've seen since I walked through that building in 1995."
Cowell anticipates going before the planning board in May or June and breaking ground sometime this year.
"If we had our choice, we'd start tomorrow," he said.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.