Robbinsville Town Center Wins Smart Growth Award

Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor

Robbinsville Township, N.J.–Sharbell Development Corp. and architectural firm Feinberg & Associates P.C., along with the town of Robbinsville, N.J., have won the 2010 New Jersey Future Smart Growth Award in the New Town Center & Traditional Neighborhood Development category for Robbinsville Town Center mixed-use project.

Robbinsville Town Center’s goal is a diversity of uses in a walkable context. Housing styles within the center include small-lot single-family homes, duplexes, townhomes and loft units, including some affordable housing. The site sits directly on New Jersey 33, with several public bus stops adjacent to the property.

The property’s retail and office components also strive for a compact mix of uses. Two-thirds of the existing office space has been leased and a number of restaurants and retailers are already open. Tenants include an upscale Italian deli/market, a day spa/salon, a sushi restaurant, a men’s shop, women’s boutiques, and the new location of the Trenton restaurant DeLorenzo’s Pizza, among others. The neighborhood also includes over 20 public parks and two lakes.

“For this type of mixed-use development to work, you need the right ingredients,”  Bill Feinberg, president of Voorhees, N.J.-based Feinberg & Associates, tells MHN. “Robbinsville Town Center focuses on the residential component, featuring single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums (residential-over-retail), with only a small retail element.”

According to Feinberg, the property’s housing options have attracted a variety of buyers. “The community has attracted first-time buyers, empty-nesters and professionals, while maintaining a friendly and family-oriented environment,” he says.

Founded in 1987, New Jersey Future is an nonprofit that advocates for smart growth. The Smart Growth Awards ceremony will be held in Newark on June 2.