BRIEF INTRODUCTION

A former 100-acre farm was redeveloped into a retail shopping center with a portion donated to the town for use as public recreation and athletic fields.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Located in Hillsborough, NJ which at the time of the project was a quiet town without a local community shopping center. The site was previously farmland located on Route 206 through the center of the town and provided the perfect opportunity to bring retail stores to the residents of the growing town.

THE CHALLENGE

Stormwater management was one of the most significant challenges for this site. The project site was previously farmland with little topographic relief across the property. The large distances between the far corners of the site would make a single stormwater management basin infeasible. Additionally, an electric companies right-a-way is located across the site included high-tension power lines under which parking fields and a detention basin were to be constructed. The electric companies concern was that the power lines sag and could “charge” a car located beneath the lines. The location of the stormwater management facilities under the power lines further concerned the electric company for accessibility for maintaining their major facility.

THE PS&S SOLUTION

To provide the electric company with access to the power lines over the detention basin the area was divided into a three-celled interconnected system with roadways designed on top of the detention basin dividing berms. This solution provided the necessary stormwater detention for this portion of the site while allowing the electric company to maintain their high-tension power lines above. The stormwater management solution was further developed to include additional detention facilities distributed throughout the development to address the lack of topography. The central stormwater facility utilized the existing farm pond with a gazebo to maintain some of the locations farm roots.