Construction at the site of the Eden Institute’s new home is expected to begin later this month in Forrestal Village. Having outgrown its space in West Windsor, Eden will move to Plainsboro after a two-story expansion and construction of a new building is complete.
A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, September 23, at 10 a.m. Construction is expected to take 18 months.
Eden announced last month that it had closed on $12 million in tax-exempt bonds issued by the state Economic Development Authority to fund the project.
The move to the 2.7-acre Plainsboro site comes as a result of the growth Eden has experienced since it was established in 1975. The Institute provides a lifespan of services designed to enable children and adults with autism to lead fulfilling and productive lives.
Since 1983, when the Institute moved to its current West Windsor location off Route 1, the organization has grown in size and also in the range of services it offers.
The plan incorporates the former home of the Harmony School with a 25,000 square-foot expansion. Eden does not plan to add a significant number of students once it moves. Harmony recently broke ground for its new location in Princeton Forrestal Village.
Eden’s proposal calls for a maximum of 80 students and 95 staff members. The new facility will house the school, its offices, Wawa House Services — the infant and toddler program — and will provide the necessary space for the assessment and diagnosis of young children and services including schooling, job training, and community employment and volunteering for its students. Students are trained to work in their communities, and some even work in the Plainsboro Library.
Among the new amenities are facilities for a culinary arts program, convenience store, a two-story gymnasium, and recreation facilities.
#b#Eden Institute Foundation#/b#, 1 Eden Way, Princeton 08540; 609-987-0099; fax, 609-987-1346. Melinda McAleer, chief development officer. www.edenservices.org.
