Development plans for the Westminster Choir College campus were met with lukewarm feedback from municipality officials at the Princeton Town Council meeting on Monday.
Chris Colley, a planner with the consulting firm Topology, laid out five themes that he said oriented the proposed plans: promoting art and culture, supporting recreation spaces, creating housing opportunities, supporting Princeton public schools, and preserving historic parts of the campus. He cited a survey of 700 Princeton locals as a guide for development goals.
The Municipality of Princeton purchased the Westminster campus last spring to be adapted for community needs. Since then, municipality authorities have renewed licenses for several local arts groups who use the space.
Colley cited interest in preserving the Playhouse, a historic theater. He added that the McCarter Theater Center had expressed interest in using the Playhouse as part of an application to the New Jersey Economic Development Association (EDA) for tax credits aimed at establishing a “new arts neighborhood” at Westminster. He also added that they plan to create space dedicated to schools while “respect[ing] the trees on site.”
Colley additionally noted the property’s proximity to public schools and wetland terrain, which could pose potential “[environmental] constraints for the site.”
Following Colley’s presentation before the Council, Princeton Mayor Mark Freda raised concerns about the feasibility of some of the proposed goals, particularly given the environmental limitations of the property.
“Can we buy our way out of the wetlands? Can we put money into a fund for somewhere else?” Freda asked.
Freda also said that some of Colley’s objectives “might conflict with each other,” such as balancing historic preservation with being financially feasible.
Councilman Brian McDonald shared Freda’s concerns, saying that he “agree[d] with the mayor that it’s going to be very challenging to optimize for all 15 of those objectives.” However, McDonald said that he looked forward to discussing the goals further.
Councilman Leighton Newlin offered a more optimistic outlook. “I don’t really have a problem with the goals right now being lofty. Fifteen is a large number, but we can always whittle it down,” he said. “There’s still a lot of input. There’s a lot of land there, there’s a lot of options. There’s a lot of possibilities.”
Freda warned that time is running out for the town to proceed with development plans due to tax pressures.
“Once people see the impact that the purchase of the property has on tax bills in 2026, we’ll probably be pressuring you to move quickly.” Freda said. “We’re going to have to make some tough decisions before too long.”
Leela Hensler is a staff News writer and a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Berkeley, Calif. and can be reached at leela[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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