Borough Council

Assistant Borough Attorney Henry Chou turned down the idea that the Borough Council’s right-of-way ordinance could affect the University’s Arts and Transit Neighborhood plan, at the Council meeting Tuesday night.

The right-of-way ordinance gives the Borough the ability to maintain the Dinky train tracks for future train use. Chou said the move to preserve the right-of-way of the tracks would not hold much meaning in light of the University’s plans for moving forward with the Arts and Transit Neighborhood, according to Planet Princeton. Part of the neighborhood plan would involve moving the Dinky 460 feet south.

Proponents of a proposal to preserve the current Dinky right-of-way — an action that would give the Borough legal rights to use the Dinky’s present route through University property for future mass transit — scored a victory last week. In last Tuesday’s Borough Council meeting, the council voted 3-2 in favor of sending the right-of-way initiative to the Regional Planning Board for review.

Members of the Princeton Borough and Township Councils, in addition to the Transition Task Force for the Consolidation of Princeton Borough and Township, approved Tuesday night a $140,000 consolidation budget to cover the costs of the January merger.

The TTF also heard a brief public presentation, received reports from various subcommittees and reviewed its policy on potential conflicts of interest.

Princeton township zoning Board member Geoff Aton has entered the race for the new Princeton Council, becoming the first — and only — Republican in the race for the six seats in the new governing body. So far, 10 Democrats have announced that they will run for a seat in the election this November.

 The Borough Council met on Tuesday evening to discuss the logistics of relocating the University Medical Center of Princeton to Plainsboro off Route 1 and the recent string of car burglaries that occurred north of Nassau Street earlier this month.