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West Windsor residents raise safety concerns about hunting blind at Grover Farm; council seeks legal opinion
Summary
Residents told the West Windsor Council that a newly constructed, large hunting blind on Grover Farm is visible from nearby Princeton Oaks homes and a village school; the mayor said the township has asked its attorney for a written opinion on what action is permissible under New Jersey’s right-to-farm law and will notify the homeowners association.
Several West Windsor residents told the township council on Nov. 24 that a newly constructed hunting blind on Grover Farm is raising safety and notice concerns for nearby neighborhoods.
"I was surprised to look up the driveway of Grover Farm and to see a very large 360 hunting blind, so they can shoot in any and every direction," said Elliot Berger of 15 Westminster Drive, during the meeting’s public-comment period. Berger told the council he had spoken with zoning staff and was advised to bring the matter to the council. He asked for clearer communication to neighbors and schools and for information about the type of firearms used near residential areas.
Mindy Shetler of Princeton Junction said she received an HOA email about the blind and asked the council to resolve the issue. Resident Mark Pepper said the episode highlighted a longer-standing pedestrian-safety concern: the absence of a sidewalk between Rabbit Hill Road and the McCaffrey shopping center, which he said would provide alternate walking routes for Princeton Oaks residents.
Mayor Marlena told residents she learned of the construction earlier the same day and that shooting has occurred on the farm historically, but that the newly erected structure drew attention. "We have asked our attorney to write a legal opinion as to what legally the township can and cannot do because the farms are governed by the state's right-to-farm law," she said, adding that the farm is leased from the township. She said the mayor will communicate the attorney’s written opinion to the homeowners association and that the council will consider posting warning signs if shooting is to be allowed on the property.
The mayor did not announce any immediate regulatory action; instead, she said the township would await the written legal opinion and then report back to residents and the HOA. Residents at the meeting requested timely public notification to surrounding schools and neighborhoods about any hunting activity and asked the council to consider whether township-owned properties used for hunting should be subject to additional local procedures.
