Borough Council debates hospital location

Borough Engineer Jack West began the discussion by reviewing the amendment to the development. The proposal includes an increase in the number of housing units to a total of 324. Twenty percent of the first 280 units would be approved by the Council of Affordable Housing, and the remainder of the units would include 20 percent “workforce units” that are intended for medium income buyers and renters. Alternatively, the developer, Avalon Bay, could pay $152,000 for each unit in lieu of the median income housing.

The floor opened to public comment following the initial discussion. Each citizen that spoke voiced strong opinions against the proposed increase in residential units.

Members of the community, including April McElroy, chair of the Affordable Housing Board, expressed concern about the low economic diversity in the town, which she attributed to the lack of low-income housing.

“In the current economic climate, the set aside of 20 percent additional units of housing in the very low, low and moderate income ranges will provide much needed housing for service industry employees and create a more diverse community,” McElroy said.

Another community member pointed out that the freshman class at the University is now more diverse than the Borough of Princeton itself, something she said she found “disgusting.”

Other community members expressed concerns about potential increase in traffic due to the higher number of residential units.

“The traffic will increase dramatically ... and that is just too much for the neighborhood,” said community member Martha Friedman. Other concerns included the environmental impact of the increased number of units.

Several community members alleged that certain members of the Borough Council were not accurately representing the views of their constituents and instead accommodating the developer, Avalon Bay.

“I just don’t see a compelling reason to bend to the will of the developer,” one community member said.

Councilwoman Jenny Crumiller echoed this frustration.

“We’re giving the developer higher density, with all its negatives, and now we’re giving them fewer affordable housing units. What are we getting?” This comment was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Previous discussions about the proposal included the suggestion of “Princeton Preference” housing, which would reserve housing units for members of the Princeton community such EMT workers and firefighters, who would benefit from proximity to the town center. Since the last Borough Council meeting, the legality of this proposal has been questioned.

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“I wouldn’t say it is per se illegal,” said Assistant Borough Attorney Henry Chou. “You would need a detailed analysis as to the demographics ... to be able to tell for sure. We don’t have that information available, so I would caution against saying it is permissible,” he explained.

The meeting concluded without a vote. Discussion will resume during the next Borough Council meeting.