Former Princeton Fire Chief Unhappy About Plan For Affordable Housing At Chestnut Street Firehouse

The ‘Engine Company No. 1’ building on Chestnut Street, which was formerly a firehouse

The first objections to Princeton’s ‘Fourth Round’ affordable housing plan have emerged, just weeks after Council gave it their approval (Report via ‘Town Topics’: “Affordable Housing Plan Gets Official Approval And Positive Feedback“). Although the plan was praised for its focus on protecting green space, and locating housing at walkable sites, not everybody is happy with it. In particular, William Shields, the former Chief of the Princeton Fire Department, appeared at the Princeton Council meeting on July 14 to express his dismay at plans to convert the old firehouse on Chestnut Street into affordable housing.

According to the town’s affordable housing plan, the old firehouse on Chestnut Street would undergo an adaptive re-use to become 16 apartments for low-income households. This would be a 100% affordable-housing development. The town owns the building, and gets extra credit for using a municipal property for affordable housing. It has been many years since the building was used as a firehouse. All of Princeton’s firefighters currently operate out of the consolidated fire headquarters building at 363 Witherspoon Street, which was constructed in 1992.

Mr, Shields, appearing before Council in full uniform, expressed concern about the fate of historic memorabilia that is stored at the Chestnut Street firehouse. He described the old firehouse as “a cornerstone of the community…a repository of stories, memories and sacrifices that have shaped this town”. The historical collections currently stored at the firehouse include “uniforms, photographs and artifacts dating back to the 1800s…pieces that speak to the bravery, dedication and resilience of the men and women who served this town long before us”. He further said “we cannot allow this building to be lost amid the weight of modern development”.

The comments from Mr. Shields add to ongoing resistance to affordable housing in Princeton that is based on concerns about historic preservation. Last year, a mixed-income housing proposal at 344 Nassau Street was blocked after legal interventions from neighbors, who claimed it would spoil views of an old house. Efforts to update housing on Witherspoon Street have rolled on for years and years, in part over concerns about the streetscape, which is part of the Witherspoon-Jackson historic district. Meanwhile residents living near the former Princeton Seminary lands on Mercer Street are fighting an ongoing legal battle against a mixed-income apartment plan, which they claim would ruin the character of the neighborhood.

The town proposed that the adaptive re-use of the Chestnut Street firehouse would include a ‘community room’ for use by the firefighters. Mr. Shields seemed skeptical that any such community room would be of sufficient size to accommodate the historical collections that currently exist. Another possibility is that the collections could be relocated to the active firehouse on Witherspoon Street. In November of last year, Princeton Council approved a $60K resolution to develop a concept plan for expansion and modernization of this firehouse. That plan was intended to consider space needs for the firefighters. Could those space needs could include an archive of historic memorabilia? We may find out when the plan is unveiled some time in the coming months.

Related Materials: (via princetonnj.gov)