By Arnold Schmidt, Somerset.
It appears that after significant pushback from Franklin residents (over 2,000 petition signatures and 100s of social media postings and discussion) the Levin Corporation will soon be submitting a revised application for the Kmart site. The new application may decrease the height (“only” three stories instead of four), and possibly include room for some retail, but they could substantially increase the footprint enabling them to keep their 200 housing units.
The same traffic concerns will remain – especially rush hour traffic. Somerset County just received a $1,000,000 grant to study Easton Avenue because it ranks 3rd on the list of high crash corridors in the state resulting in multiple motor vehicle and pedestrian deaths and many more accidents. It is already one of the most heavily driven roads in Central Jersey. According to Levin’s own website (https://levinmgt.com/why-levin ), 30,000 motor vehicles currently drive by this property every day. The increased motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic from 200 new apartments could make this the highest-ranked crash corridor in the state.
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