NJ Transit Launches Public Consultation to Identify Potential Upgrades to Princeton ‘Dinky’ Rail Line

Posted on April 26, 2021 by walkableprinceton
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The current Princeton ‘Dinky’ train, at Princeton Station.

NJ Transit has launched a public consultation (link) to get input into what the best options are for upgrading the Princeton ‘Dinky’ train service. The ‘Dinky’ is the two-car train that runs back and forward between Princeton rail station on Alexander Street and the main northeast corridor rail line at Princeton Junction station (map). The 2.7 mile-long, single-track route is said to be the shortest commuter rail service in the USA. The trip takes about 6 minutes in each direction and there are currently no intermediate stops between Princeton station and Princeton Junction station. According to NJ Transit, continuing the service with the existing equipment is not viable, because the Arrow III trainsets are 43 years old and are being decommissioned from the network. Continue reading →

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Princeton Planning Board Advances “Area In Need of Redevelopment” Designation for Princeton Shopping Center

Posted on April 23, 2021 by walkableprinceton
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Consultant Carlos Rodrigues, at an online meeting of the Princeton Planning Board, discusses criteria for designating the area around Princeton Shopping Center as a redevelopment area.

Should the Princeton Shopping Center on North Harrison St (map) be designated as a ‘Redevelopment Area’? That was the question considered by the Princeton Planning Board at their meeting last night. Princeton Council had referred the question to the Planning Board, to judge whether New Jersey state law on Redevelopment Areas might apply to the Princeton Shopping Center, and several adjoining properties, including Gover Park and the old PFARS Building. After a lively discussion, the Board ultimately agreed that the proposal met the requirements of New Jersey law, and could be designated as an ‘Area In Need of Redevelopment”. 

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Humbert Street Neighbors Lambaste Princeton Townhouse Proposal

Posted on April 19, 2021 by walkableprinceton
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Back in the USSR? One Humbert Street neighbor called this 2.5 story townhome proposal “a Soviet-era type of structure”

A proposal to construct three townhouses at 25 Humbert Street (map) was considered at a meeting of the Princeton Planning Board last Thursday. As discussed in ‘Walkable Princeton’ last week (“Three-unit Townhouse Development Proposed for Humbert Street in Princeton“), a developer recently purchased the dilapidated duplex on this site, and hopes to redevelop it with three 2.5 story townhouses. The total number of residences would therefore increase by one, from the previously-existing duplex, to three townhomes, which would be a 5-min walk from downtown Princeton. In public comment, however, nearby residents did not seem impressed with the plan. Continue reading →

Posted in Density, planning, Princeton, Real estate, Smart Growth, Sustainability, The Parking Question, Traffic | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Three-unit Townhouse Development Proposed for Humbert Street in Princeton

Posted on April 14, 2021 by walkableprinceton
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Rendering of proposed townhouse development on Humbert Street in Princeton (click to expand)

Princeton Planning Board will consider an application on Thursday night for a three-home townhouse development on Humbert Street (map) in central Princeton. The plan would bring three compact homes to a site just off Wiggins Street that is within 2 minutes walk of downtown, but municipal staff have raised concerns about the density of the proposal. Continue reading →

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Princeton Council Gives Thumbs Up To Curb Extensions At Nassau St / Witherspoon St Intersection

Posted on March 26, 2021 by walkableprinceton
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Shematic showing proposed new layout of intersection of Nassau St and Witherspoon St in downtown Princeton. Notice new curb bulbouts on either side of the road. (click to expand)

An improved walkable layout is likely to appear at the intersection of Nassau St and Witherpoon St in downtown Princeton (map). On Monday night, Princeton Council approved Resolution 21-109, in support of a concept plan by New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to improve pedestrian safety at this key intersection. Continue reading →

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Town Planning Board Approves New Sir David Adjaye-Designed Princeton University Art Museum

Posted on March 22, 2021 by walkableprinceton
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View of the new Princeton University Art Musuem, which has just been approved by the Princeton Planning Board. (click to expand)

Earlier this month, Princeton University presented plans for a new University Art Musum. The new museum would be built on the existing 4.5 acre site (map). The current museum (which has been closed since last April) and adjoining McCormick Hall would be demolished, with only the Marquand Art Library being retained. The Cooper Robertson firm and Ghanaian-British master architect Sir David Adjaye designed for the new museum. Adjaye has previously designed the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington DC, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, NYC. The new Princeton University Art Museum would be 144,000 sq. ft, one of the biggest buildings on campus, and located in the heart of the historic university area behind Nassau Hall.

Continue reading →

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Engineers Present Latest Concept Plan for Witherspoon Street Downtown Thoroughfare

Posted on March 16, 2021 by walkableprinceton

Concept plan for redesign of Witherspoon St between Nassau St and Spring St, showing proposed use of pavers across the street width. (click to expand)

 

Last year, Princeton Council voted to advance a plan to permanently convert the downtown part of Witherspoon Street into a one-way traffic pattern. The decision was made ahead of a large engineering project to upgrade sewers, which will require the street to be dug up and re-laid. A 9-month public consultation showed enthusiasm for a more walkable street design, an idea that was further supported by a petition signed by more than 1,000 local residents and support from several downtown merchants. Princeton engineers have advanced design concepts for the project, and updated Council last month on their progress.  Continue reading →

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Redesigned Griggs Corner Apartment Proposal Gets Mixed Reception at Princeton’s Site Plan Review Advisory Board

Posted on February 28, 2021 by walkableprinceton

Rendering of proposed mixed-used redevelopment at Griggs Corner in Princeton. (click to expand)

Earlier this month, Princeton’s Site Plan Review Advisory Board considered a redesign of a mixed-use building proposal on Witherspoon Street at Hulfish St (map). The site in question is ‘Griggs Corner’, a one-quarter acre lot that was formerly used as a gas station and has been a surface parking lot for several decades. The original application, for a mixed-use development containing ground-floor retail and eight apartments, was submitted by Palmer Square Management last June (report from Walkable Princeton). There was concern at the time that the new project would stand too close to the Elements / Mistral restaurant on the north side of the site. The new design aims to address this issue, by re-orienting the building on the site. Continue reading →

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New Vegan Restaurant, ‘The Planted Plate’, Opens on Spring St

Posted on January 19, 2021 by walkableprinceton

‘The Planted Plate’ vegan restaurant at 15 Spring St in Princeton. (click to expand)

Earlier this month, the long-awaited vegan restaurant, ‘The Planted Plate’ opened its doors at 15 Spring St in downtown Princeton. The new restaurant offers a breakfast menu, and a selection of salads, sandwiches and ‘hot bowls’. All the food is entirely plant-based. Continue reading →

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Ten Predictions For Princeton In 2021!

Posted on December 31, 2020 by walkableprinceton

New undergraduate colleges under construction just south of Poe Field, on the Princeton University campus. December 2020. (click to expand)

What a year! 2020 has not been an easy one for Princeton, with the coronavirus contagion upending all our expectations. Schools have closed, businesses have shut down, and, tragically, many people have lost their lives because of a virus pandemic unlike anything in living memory. But as crazy as it seems, coronavirus has not been the only big story in Princeton this year. The town has approved hundreds of new homes, as part of the towns fair share housing settlement, which will shape our community for years to come. The one-way circulation on Witherspoon St, which was enacted in response to demands for ‘social distancing’ may now become permanent. Who could have foreseen that? And what could the new year hold? As in previous years, we have set out some predictions…
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