On Oct. 21, the University broke ground on five new affordable apartment units in the Borough on Leigh Avenue, which runs between Route 206 and Witherspoon Street half a mile north of the University. The units, which were built to fulfill the affordable housing obligation incurred by the construction of Sherrerd Hall, cost more than $2 million total, The Princeton Packet reported.
The University’s obligation, called “growth share,” is based on a COAH formula that both University and local municipal officials have challenged in the past because they say it produces inflated estimates of job creation when applied to educational buildings.
The University must provide Princeton Township or Princeton Borough with units of affordable housing for most of the construction projects it undertakes, University Vice President and Secretary Bob Durkee ’69 said.
Recent additions to the campus that necessitate the construction of affordable housing units include Bloomberg Hall, Whitman College, Sherrerd Hall and Lewis Library, Durkee said. Other upcoming projects will also result in further affordable housing obligations, he added.
The University is “moving forward” with a proposal to address the low-income housing requirement associated with the new neuroscience and psychology buildings, Durkee explained. University officials are “fairly close to the proposals for the eastern campus garage and the new childcare facility,” but “the proposals are not yet ready for the [Arts and Transit Neighborhood] buildings,” he added.
Questioning the formula
Durkee said that the COAH calculations that result in the determination of affordable housing obligations are not accurate in all cases.
The state formula resulted in an estimate that Whitman College, for instance, would create 500 new jobs when it opened, Durkee said. “Anyone who knows anything about Whitman College knows this is a ridiculous number. The actual number is closer to 50.”
Durkee explained that if the actual number of jobs created by a given building differs by more than 10 percent from the estimate, the University is eligible to apply for a waiver to alter the number of required units. He added, however, that the University is not yet at the point where it can apply for a waiver.
The process is uncertain because the regulations are always changing and because “one of the implications of the current financial climate is that these projects might be scaled back or deferred,” Durkee explained. Affordable housing obligations are included in the budgets of campus construction projects, he added.
Municipal relations
Township Committee member Chad Goerner said that very little about the University’s proposals has been finalized. He explained that this month, the Township Committee will “probably see a presentation” about affordable housing, which will have “a University component.”
The Township has a verbal agreement with the University to construct “40 units of affordable housing off of Bunn Drive,” located more than two miles away from Nassau Hall, Goerner said.
Durkee confirmed the agreement in an e-mail but added that “the actual number [of units] will depend on the obligation in the Township that is attributable to the University (a number not yet known) and the capacity of the site (which has not yet been determined).”
Borough Councilman Roger Martindell noted that the University is not obligated to build housing units in any particular part of the Borough.
“If the University builds the Arts and Transit Neighborhood, will it incur an affordable housing obligation?” he said. “Yes, but ... [it] can put the units anywhere.”
Martindell said he believes that the units should be put near the building that incurs the obligation “to promote town-gown relations.” Putting all the units in a single location results in a “de facto ghetto ... that’s not attractive,” he said.
Goerner said that with the addition of the University’s Arts and Transit Neighborhood, the “service district along Alexander Road” may be updated and that units of affordable housing may be constructed there.
Read More
Economics professor Kate Ho passes away after long battle with cancer
Devon RudolphProfessor Kate Ho made seminal contributions to the economics of modeling competition in the healthcare sector and taught well-loved courses in industrial organization.
Professor Kate Ho made seminal contributions to the economics of modeling competition in the healthcare sector and taught well-loved courses in industrial organization.
Pedestrian left in critical condition after traffic collision on Nassau Street
Luke GrippoThe pedestrian was struck by a westbound 2015 Ford Explorer around 11:32 p.m. The driver was identified in the press release as a 39-year-old Princeton resident who cooperated with officers upon their arrival.
The pedestrian was struck by a westbound 2015 Ford Explorer around 11:32 p.m. The driver was identified in the press release as a 39-year-old Princeton resident who cooperated with officers upon their arrival.
Senior class jacket abruptly changed following accusations of AI design
Vitus LarrieuFor more than a century, Princeton seniors have donned “beer jackets” to protect their clothes during Reunions and commencement celebrations, typically with elaborate designs chosen by a class-wide contest. Now, with a selection process marred by accusations of generative AI use, the Class of 2026 may have written its own spot in Princeton history.
For more than a century, Princeton seniors have donned “beer jackets” to protect their clothes during Reunions and commencement celebrations, typically with elaborate designs chosen by a class-wide contest. Now, with a selection process marred by accusations of generative AI use, the Class of 2026 may have written its own spot in Princeton history.