American Cyanamid

Most of the 653-acre American Cyanamid facility. Click to download full-scale image.

A sprawling agricultural research and development campus once spanned over 650 acres off of Clarksville Road, Route 1, and Quakerbridge Road. Initially established in the 1950s by American Cyanamid - an international chemical and biopharmaceutical conglomerate - this facility employed many local residents. However, it shut down several decades ago and has since become West Windsor's most contentious property, being the site of massive proposed housing and commercial developments.

Historical Overview

Before the late 1950s, the "Clarksville" area of West Windsor - much like the rest of town - was dominated by agriculture, with farmland stretching as far as the eye could see. Longtime local families operated expansive farms, as their predecessors had done for generations. However, in the late 1950s, an international chemical and biopharmaceutical conglomerate called "American Cyanamid" purchased these farms, tore down most of the old farmhouses, and established a sprawling agricultural research and development facility.

American Cyanamid was founded in 1907 by Frank Washburn and Charles Baker for the purpose of producing cyanamid - a compound of lime, carbide, and nitrogen that is suitable for use in fertilizer. Their first headquarters was in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] The company diversified its agricultural offerings over time, and grew significantly over the decades into a multinational corporation.[2]

1960 conceptual rendering of American Cyanamid's West Windsor facility.

In 1953, American Cyanamid acquired the Heyden Chemical penicillin facility on Route 1 in the West Windsor community of Penns Neck.[3] Four years later, it purchased hundreds of acres of farmland near the intersection of Clarksville and Quakerbridge Roads, in the historic West Windsor/Lawrence community of Clarksville. At the time, this property, bounded by Route 1 to the northwest and the Northeast Corridor to the southeast, included several large farms belonging to the Dohertys, Colemans, Reeds, and Dilatushes, along with several smaller properties and residences.[4] However, within a few years, their old houses - some dating to the 1700s such as the historic Flock-Coleman farmhouse - had been demolished.[5] This was the biggest factor that caused Clarksville to disappear as an identifiable community.

​By 1960, plans for an agricultural research and development facility were completed. The 640-acre center was "designed to simulate conditions as might be found on a well-run farm," with an ultimate output focused on research into "animal and plant health, food preservation, and professional veterinary products." Preliminary designs included 100 acres of woodland, 500 acres of field crops, testing areas for weedkillers, insecticides, pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, and plant nutrients, 6 acres for animal testing, new barns for pugs and sheep, grazing areas for cattle, and poultry building for 5,000 birds. These were among the first structures to be erected put into use. By 1960, work had begun on building the laboratory facilities (on the site of the former Flock-Coleman farm), which were largely concentrated northwest of Clarksville Road. The main building at first had three wings dedicated to animal science, plant science, and chemistry.[6] However, it expanded massively over the next several decades.[7] 

Billboard off of Route 1 northbound in 1962. From Howard E. Schrader.

From the 1960s to the mid-1990s, American Cyanamid continued and grew its operations at its agricultural research campus in West Windsor. The company employed hundreds of local residents and was a familiar sight for decades. However, by the 1990s, the company was on shaky financial ground.

In 1994, American Cyanamid was purchased by American Home Products, a pharmaceutical company, for $9.7 billion.[8] Six years later, American Home Products sold its agricultural division, including American Cyanamid, to BASF, a German chemical company, for $3.8 billion.[9] However, it retained ownership of the West Windsor property, instead leasing it to BASF.[10] In 2002, American Home Products changed its name to "Wyeth"[11] and fully shut down its facility in West Windsor.[12] The laboratory sat vacant for many years thereafter, gradually growing dilapidated and overgrown as nature began to reclaim the property. However, the surrounding agricultural land continued to be farmed, albeit with no more livestock.[13] 

Abandoned American Cyanamid facility, 2021.

In 2004, Wyeth sold its West Windsor property to the Rouse Company for $35 million,[14] only for Rouse to be acquired that same year by General Growth Company (GGP) - a real estate company and mall operator.[15] Two years later, GGP proposed a mixed--use residential and commercial development that would have been anchored by an upscale shopping mall, including Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.[16]  Plans, however, never materialized, largely due to Great Recession, and in 2009, GGP filed for bankruptcy.[17] 

In 2010, GGP emerged from bankruptcy and the "Howard Hughes Corporation" (HHC) was created as a separate spin-off of GGP assets, including the American Cyanamid property.[18] Within a few years, HHC began to argue that the existing zoning, which allowed light industrial and commercial uses, was not suitable,[19] and soon requested that the site be designated as an "Area in Need of Redevelopment," and proposed paying an upfront "Payment in Lieu of Taxation" (also known as "PILOT") instead of regular annual property taxes.[20]

In 2017, HHC presented plans for a mixed-use development spanning several million square feet. It would have included nearly 2,000 housing units and amore than 1.3 million square feet of commercial and retail space, including a hotel, office buildings, and storefronts. Notably, the plan estimated the addition of up to 1,000 public school children - a point of contention for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, whose facilities were already at capacity. Although the developer's plans depicted a 32-acre "school/community recreation site," many argued that it was too small. There were similar worries that the introduction of so much development (West Windsor at the time had about 10,000 housing units) would put insurmountable burdens on the municipality's traffic and water infrastructure, emergency services, wildlife areas, and more.[21],[22]

Rendering of Howard Hughes' plans for the former American Cyanamid site.

At the same time, West Windsor was involved in a trial before the state Superior Court about its affordable housing obligations, after the Fair Share Housing Center of Cherry Hill argued that the municipality was obligated to build more than 2,000 affordable housing units for the period between 1999 and 2025, under statewide affordable housing regulations. While West Windsor argued that the number was closer to 1,000 new units, Judge Mary Jacobson ruled in 2018 that the town was responsible for 1,500 units. The ruling sparked fears that HHC, alongside other developers, would have more leverage when asking to have the 650-acre property rezoned for housing.[23]

That same year, HHC sued West Windsor Township to force redevelopment.[24] Although HHC ultimately sold the site in 2019 for $40 million, the new owner - Atlantic Realty, a real estate developer with other properties in West Windsor - maintained the lawsuit. It was not until 2020 that the case was settled. Atlantic Realty and West Windsor both agreed that (1) development would be limited to commercial uses, including warehouse and distribution facilities; (2) residential development would not be permitted; and (3) a PILOT would not be instituted as a substitution for annual property taxes.[25]

Soon, news had circulated that the future of the old American Cyanamid tract might instead become a warehouse facility.[26] This became one of the significant campaign issues of West Windsor's 2021 mayoral election.[27] In June 2022, the West Windsor Planning Board approved a mammoth 5.5-million-square-foot warehouse development on the tract, designed by Bridgepoint WW LLC, which had begun leasing the property from Atlantic Realty. Plans also included an additional 150,000 square feet of retail space, 192,000 square feet of office space, a 16-pump gas station with a convenience market, and two hotels providing 230 rooms.[28] That same year, the old American Cyanamid buildings were demolished.[29]

Plans for "Bridgepoint 8." Some of the seven warehouses are each larger than Quakerbridge Mall across the road.

At the time of this writing (January 2024) , the future of the site is unknown. As with HHC's former plans in 2017, this new proposal has become widely decried. Residents have again expressed worries about burdens on traffic, safety, water runoff, emergency services, and the environment. Many argue that the muncipality and county should not approve these plans and instead force the developer to consider other uses. However, others maintain that, considering current and potential future affordable housing obligations and the threat of "builder's remedy" lawsuits within a developer-friendly state, this proposal is the "lesser of the two evils" lest the site be reconsidered for thousands of housing units.[30] While a 2023 lawsuit brought against the township, landowner, and developer by local residents attempting to halt development was ultimately dismissed,[31] approvals have not yet progressed at the county level, so it is unknown what the future might bring.

Go to Clarksville

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Bibliography

1. "Thos. A. Edison's Dream of Atmospheric Fertilizer To Come True In The South." Nashville Banner. June 18, 1907.
2. "Cyanamid fights water check test." Evening Times (Trenton). March 23, 1976.
3. "$12,000,000 Was Paid for Heyden Division." Princeton Herald. December 9, 1953.
4. "This is Princeton - Industrious Spring." town Topics. March 24, 1957.
5. ​“West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 1965.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 1965.
6. ​"Agriculture Center Set." Town Topics. January 10, 1960.
7. ​“West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 2002.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 2002.
8. "American Cyanamid agrees to merger at $9.7 billion price." The Repository (Canton, Ohio). August 18, 1994.
9. "BASF buying part of American Home." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. March 22, 2000.
10. "On the Move." Princeton Info. September 7, 2004.
11. "Drug company Wyeth makes the grade." Venice Herald-Tribune. April 8, 2002.
12. ​"On the Move." Princeton Info. September 7, 2004.
13. Personal observations of the author of this article, Paul Ligeti.
14. ​​"On the Move." Princeton Info. September 7, 2004.
15. "Shareholder OK Rouse Sale." Staten Island Advance. November 10, 2004.
16. Peterson, Eric. “GGP Shops 658-Acre Central NJ Campus.” GlobeSt, December 8, 2008. https://www.globest.com/sites/globest/2008/12/08/ggp-shops-658-acre-central-nj-campus/. 
17. "General Growth says plan approved." Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 17, 2009.
18. "General Growth Granted New Life." Las Vegas Review-Journal. October 22, 2010.
19. NJ.com, Nicole Mulvaney | For. “Howard Hughes Corp., West Windsor to Discuss Redevelopment of American Cyanamid Site.” NJ.Com, September 15, 2014. https://www.nj.com/mercer/2014/09/howard_hughes_corp_west_windsor_officials_to_discuss_redevelopment_of_american_cyanamid_site.html. 
20. “Howard Hughes Aims for Special Planning Process at West Windsor Cyanamid Site.” walkableprinceton, October 7, 2014. https://walkableprinceton.com/2014/10/07/cyanamid-area-redevelopment/. 
21. NJ.com, Cristina Rojas | For. “Mixed-Use Project Planned for 653-Acre Site off Route 1.” nj, February 19, 2017. https://www.nj.com/mercer/2017/02/mixed-use_project_planned_for_653-acre_site_off_ro.html. 
22. Xu, Vincent, and Community News. “West Windsor Residents Speak out against Howard Hughes Plan.” Community News, May 16, 2017. https://www.communitynews.org/archives/west-windsor-residents-speak-out-against-howard-hughes-plan/article_36f6a420-0a85-5e72-a8f5-c244a4d6b5f7.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CHoward%20Hughes%20is%20looking%20to,Gardner%20to%20quiet%20the%20crowd. 
23. Sanservino, Bill. “Judge: West Windsor Responsible for 1,500 Units of Affordable Housing.” Community News, March 14, 2018. https://www.communitynews.org/archives/judge-west-windsor-responsible-for-1-500-units-of-affordable-housing/article_d1f0c7dd-95fc-5e43-aad4-370a51e2cc40.html.
24. Pizzutillo, Rich. “Howard Hughes Corp. Files Suit against West Windsor Regarding Development of Long-Vacant 658-Acre Site: Roi-NJ.” ROI-NJ, September 16, 2018. https://www.roi-nj.com/2018/09/14/law/howard-hughes-corp-files-suit-against-west-windsor-regarding-development-of-long-vacant-658-acre-site/. 
25. Brianna Kudisch | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. “N.J. Town Could See 5.5 Million Square Feet of Warehousing Built after Settlement with Developer.” NJ.Com, December 14, 2020. https://www.nj.com/news/2020/12/nj-town-could-see-55-million-square-feet-of-warehousing-built-after-settlement-with-developer.html. 
26. Ibid.
27. Personal observations of the author of this article, Paul Ligeti.
28. ​Sanservino, Bill. “West Windsor Industrial Park Approved.” Community News, July 6, 2022. https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/business/fastlane/west-windsor-industrial-park-approved/article_16fb1672-fc84-11ec-9f73-d3803039e04a.html. ​
29. Personal observations of the author of this article, Paul Ligeti.
30. Ibid.
31. Salvadore, Sarah. “Mercer Residents Sue West Windsor over Approval of Massive Warehouse.” Princeton, NJ Patch, January 20, 2023. https://patch.com/new-jersey/princeton/mercer-residents-sue-west-windsor-over-approval-massive-warehouse.