This Monday, November 10, supporters of housing in Princeton will gather at a meet-up at The Ivy Inn. (map) The start time is 9 p.m. Representatives of ‘Walkable Princeton’ will join the founders of ‘Princeton For All‘, a new group set up this year. Princeton For All believes that “Building more housing — and welcoming greater density — will help ensure that Princeton remains vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable for generations to come.”
Last week, the “Princeton Coalition for Responsible Development”, an organization run by former Council member Jo Butler, lost a major court case aiming to block construction of apartments on land belonging to Princeton Seminary along Stockton Street. Many of the people associated with this objector group had previously campaigned to block a proposal by the Princeton Seminary to redevelop the land as housing for their students. The latest apartment proposalwould be a mixture of market-rate and affordable homes, with the market-rate apartments subsidizing the affordable units. The development is included in Princeton Fourth Round “Fair Share” plan, which addresses the town’s state-mandated requirement to build affordable housing.
Nevertheless, the court challenges to the apartment development continue, including a case brought by another objector group, “Defend Historic Princeton”. This group has retained Bruce Afran, an attorney who recently worked with the “Save Jugtown” objector group to block construction of a mixed-income apartment development on a parking lot at 344 Nassau Street.
All over Princeton, residents are quick to rise up to object to any effort to build homes for people to live in. As former Planning Board member Peter Madison noted in a letter to ‘Town Topics’ this week, Princeton suffers from “too many NIMBY objections disguised as traffic congestion, child safety, environmental degradation, noise issues, Central Business District parking, historic preservation, and as inappropriate locations for affordable housing density.”
Princeton faces a housing crisis, however, with home prices increasing by ~50% since 2020. Unless you are a high-ranking corporate executive, or a wealthy heiress, it is becoming extremely difficult to afford to live in Princeton. Many people who work here but can’t afford to live here are forced to commute in from miles away, adding to car traffic and general human misery.
The new drinks meet-up at the Ivy Inn aims to bring together people who seek a different path. The goal is to try to find ways to enable more housing to be built in Princeton, to accommodate a broader range of future residents, and to have fun at the same time. Everyone is welcome and invited.
Related links:
walkableprinceton 