Borough group maps development plans

Like the University, Princeton Borough is in a phase of development. Working to produce a cohesive vision for the Borough, the citizen-led group Princeton Future unveiled the results of a two-year community planning study Wednesday.

The group's master plan will be turned over to the Princeton Regional Planning Board as a recommendation.

The Borough is already occupied with several downtown development projects: renovations of the library — which are underway — creation of a parking garage and civic plaza complex and plans for townhouses on Paul Robeson Place.

Focusing on a long-term plan, Princeton Future has held dozens of local meetings to gain input from different neighborhoods, said co-chair Robert Geddes, former dean of the University's school of architecture.

The local meetings encouraged citizens to express "what they like about Princeton and what might change it for the better," said Yina Moore '79, Princeton Future neighborhood task force chair.

After revising and compiling the data during the last year, the group presented its findings at a town hall meeting Wednesday. The final report, which is not a legal document, will be given to the regional planning authority as it revises the area's master development plan.

Residents emphasized preserving the character and scale of the downtown area and the several neighborhoods, said Bob Brown, a planner working with Princeton Future. Downtown Princeton is reaching "build-out," he said, describing a situation where real estate density reaches a maximum.

The goal should be not to make downtown bigger but to improve traffic circulation, retain the charm of the neighborhood and encourage the construction of more affordable housing closer to downtown, he said.

The report noted that residents were committed to integrating affordable and market-rate housing downtown.

"The rich people want to live next to the poor people, and that's very unusual," said Sheldon Sturges, co-chair and resident.

Rents have been rising and vacancies have been scarce during the town's economic boom, Mayor Marvin Reed said. "I hate to say it, but Princeton has become a very hot real estate market," he said.

Palmer Square Management planned to build 97 luxury units at Robeson Place, a site to the north of the Palmer Square parking garages, but the project has been in limbo since the Borough initially denied the application in June.

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The Borough now requires that 20 percent of new units in any large development be priced as "affordable," Reed said, but "we have an interest in seeing the [Robeson] project completed."

The Robeson Place project was originally approved in 1990 without an affordable housing component, said David Newton, vice president of Palmer Square Management. Both the mayor and Palmer Square Management believe an agreement will be reached.

Princeton Future, however, recommends an alternate design that would allow for more affordable housing on both sides of a realigned Paul Robeson Place, an idea popular with residents of the John-Witherspoon neighborhood.

The Borough is also moving toward approving a new parking garage next to site of the new public library on Witherspoon Street, between Spring and Wiggins streets. The 500-space garage would replace two municipal lots and provide more parking downtown shoppers, Reed said.

Princeton Future originally conceived the idea of the square as a common space that would tie together the other elements of the library development.

Many residents at the Wednesday meeting praised the Princeton Future plan, noting hundreds of hours of that the group spent listening to neighborhood concerns.

A few objected to the downtown development, mostly expressing fears that despite the added parking, downtown congestion would increase. Resident Jim Firestone objected to the lack of alternatives to the garage that the Borough had presented.

Firestone also said the University should take more responsibility in the long-term planning of parking and downtown development.

While the Princeton Future plan is excellent for the Borough, it does not do enough to include the Township and the University in the vision, said Jim Floyd, former Township mayor.

The University has been extensively involved in Princeton Future and in improving parking, said Robert Durkee '69, University vice president for public affairs.

The University provides lots for its employees and has made it known that University lots are available to the general public after hours and on weekends, he said.

Moreover, the University provided funding for Princeton Future, and one of its co-chairs is former President Robert Goheen '40, he said.