Town residents discussed concerns over preserving the historic and cultural charm of Witherspoon Street while considering the implications of current zoning regulations during a public meeting on Monday night.
Although Witherspoon Street spans only about a mile in length, it includes eight different zoning areas. Since the Township and Borough of Princeton consolidated in 2013, representatives felt that a unified discussion on the future of this major throughway would be a welcome form of proactive planning, town council members said.
“This is a street that impacts almost everybody in the community,” Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert said when initiating the discussion.
Lempert said that if the community decides that current zoning is not in line with the town’s common vision for the neighborhood, steps may be taken to enlist a consultant and consider issues such as building density and urban landscaping. However, Lempert said that this meeting would be one of several to gauge the community’s sentiments, a suggestion that was confirmed by the end of the night.
Several community members said they were worried about preserving the town’s charm and historic character, which could be damaged by increasing property density, especially for commercial purposes, they argued.
“We are not the most aggressive town,” Councilman Patrick Simon said regarding the town’s stance on zoning and development, a comment that elicited claps and shouts of agreement from the audience.
Simon said it is important for the town to approach Witherspoon Street’s future with careful consideration and a proactive mindset. He also supported conducting a financial analysis of possible zoning changes as requested by several community members.
“Once you increase the density, you can’t take it back,” a community member said.“We have an enormous history there and we have to make sure we don’t lose it.”
Another citizen criticized the changes made to historic buildings on Alexander Road and parts of the Dinky station, and was concerned by the prospect of further alterations to town infrastructure and residential areas.
The public also discussed the AvalonBay housing development, a new set of apartments scheduled to open on the site of the former University Medical Center on Witherspoon Street by 2016. AvalonBay filed a lawsuit against the town when it initially refused to grant approval for the project. The town eventually agreed to the new housing development, but several community members said they felt the town had not been assertive enough.
Members of the public also noted that the AvalonBay development would probably cause additional congestion in the Witherspoon Street corridor. Several citizens requested a traffic analysis of this area to assess possible congestion issues.
If the town does decide to enlist an outside advisor, an announcement would probably be made by the end of 2014, Lempert said.
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