Though the Princeton Shopping Center on Harrison St. is only a stone's throw from campus, Rutgers University students redesigned the complex last semester, and now the township is considering implementing their vision.
The students worked on plans to transform the shopping center into a higher density community center. Some of their mock-ups included the addition of a performance arts complex, senior housing and apartments.
The students presented their work to the Princeton Regional Planning Board on Feb. 19, where they received mixed reviews.
Many of the shopping center's neighbors — residents of the quiet suburbs around the center — attended the meeting to voice their opinions.
Some residents were opposed to the development of the shopping center and openly criticized the plan.
However, others in the Township have been very supportive of the project since its inception.
Carlos Rodriguez, co-teacher of the Rutgers landscape design class and implementation director of the New Jersey Office of Smart Growth, said the idea for the project came from Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand, who brought it up at Smart Growth conference last July.
"She sees that there are a number of opportunities to improve the way the shopping center functions and the way it relates to the neighborhood around it, and she's excited about that," Rodriguez said.
"There's a lot the public sector can do to really frame the expectations and lay down the ground rules for what might happen. And the first thing you do is start with some ideas," Rodriguez said, adding that a college studio is good at providing those ideas.
The Princeton Shopping Center hosts about 50 businesses in its courtyard-shaped 220,000 square foot building.
However, the facilities — built in 1956 — are looking to modernize and improve.
Rodriguez said he approached Princeton's architecture department about the possibility of collaborating on the studio class he teaches every fall, but the department was not interested.
Dana Comfort of George Comfort and Sons, the firm that manages the shopping center, could not be reached for comment.
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