U. asked to demolish abandoned Exxon gas station

The University has been asked to begin demolition of an abandoned Exxon gas station on Washington Road along Route 1. The site, which sits on land owned by Princeton University, lies at the entrance to West Windsor Township and has been called an “eyesore” by Township citizens and government officials alike.

Pete Weale, a 27-year resident of West Windsor Township, who described himself as a “quasi-retired” corporate marketer, published an op-ed in the Princeton Packet last Thursday in which he criticized both the University’s neglect and the Township’s passiveness in allowing the site to decay.

Currently, the site contains two stands without fuel tanks and an empty snack shop with a sign that reads, "Private Property: No Trespassing." Periodically throughout the past year, piles of plywood and discarded tires have littered the site.

“I’ve mentioned it to the town council countless times. I’ve provided pictures, but it’s very difficult to get West Windsor Township to clean up areas,” Weale said. “The Township does not have a good track record for maintaining property.”

Township Business Administrator Robert Hary said that the Exxon station has been there for as long as he can remember. "Since the 1980s, and probably a lot before,” Hary said.

University spokeswoman Emily Aronson noted that the University has held property in the Township for centuries, adding that the University has owned this particular site for decades.

Weale said that the Exxon station was operating under a monthly lease until it expired in 2009, when the gas station was abandoned.

“I’ve tried to have some sort of dialogue with the University to find out what it’s going to do, should it not raze the site and improve the appearance and provide another use. It’s languished like that for the last several years,” Weale said. “Why would the University not take that responsibility upon itself?”

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Aronson said that the University is currently planning to apply for a permit to demolish the structures at the former Exxon site by the end of the winter. Once demolition is complete, the University plans to plant grass in the area to return it to its natural landscape.

“The University has developed plans to clear the site and restore natural landscaping on the property,” Aronson said in an e-mail. “The University is currently working on the municipal permitting process to enable work to begin on the site.”

Hary noted that the Township has not yet received the application.

While Weale claimed that the Princeton Borough and Princeton Township would not have allowed the situation to escalate in such a manner, Hary asserted that there is little that West Windsor Township can do because the land is private property.

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He said that although the Township has the right and obligation to step in and demand action by the University if the property was in violation of any public health or nuisance regulations, no regulations are currently being violated.

“It has not only been an eyesore, but there have been some public health and nuisance complaints with the tires there," Hary said, noting however, that the property is "currently not in violation of anything when it comes to West Windsor ordinances.”

Hary added that it is indeed in the Township’s interests to beautify the site, because the intersection represents the entrance to West Windsor Township coming from the west.

“The fact is, it’s the gateway to the Township, it’s on Route 1, it’s between us and Princeton University and we’d like nothing better than to have them do something productive with it,” Hary said. “It just doesn’t look good. It doesn’t create a positive image for any of us.”