For years, people have asked why the Princeton Junction rail station is surrounded by acres and acres of surface parking lots, but no housing? Plans to add transit-oriented development around the train station have been circulating for decades, but tonight saw a real ribbon-cutting. Executives from Avalon Bay gathered to mark the official opening of the ‘Avalon W Squared‘ development (map), which offers an extremely attractive new opportunity for people looking for apartment living in the Princeton area.
The Avalon W Squared development (the name reflects ‘West Windsor’ township, where Princeton Junction station is located) features 535 apartments arranged around a central ‘Promenade’. This plaza-like space will also feature retail at the ground level:
It’s customary for architectural renderings to show pictures of people walking and cycling around, but on this opening night, the ‘Promenade’ was genuinely active, with kids playing a game of soccer, people walking dogs, and strolling home from the train station. A passing toddler on a three-wheeled scooter said ‘hi’. At least on this warm fall evening, the central square offered more life than is typical of car-dependent suburbs.
In a central courtyard, residents can enjoy a pool and patio area. There is also a fitness center, playground, and dog park. Parking is available on-site. Residents with electric vehicles can benefit from special reserved spaces with charging included in the parking fee.
The W Squared development also offers a roof deck BBQ area for residents to enjoy. This space can also be rented for parties.
The roof deck also offers views of the surrounding area, including the ‘Promenade’, which could easily become a gathering place for the local area. West Windsor and Princeton Junction do not have any kind of real downtown at this time, with development mostly focused on subdivisions and malls on Route 1.
The W Squared community is easily visible across the NJ Transit parking lot from the platform at Princeton Junction train station. From there, express service to NY Penn Station can be as quick as 55 minutes. Amtrak service is also available. Access from the station to the apartment community is easy because of a purpose-built walking path with flashing beacons to alert drivers to pedestrians at night.
Apartments in the W Squared community range from studios to three-bedroom units. Rents start at $2,375 / month and incentives are currently available. ‘Open houses’ will be held every Saturday in September from 9 am – 5 pm (RSVP required at Avalon Bay website).
Many of the apartments include balconies or ground floor patios overlooking the pool:
The Avalon Bay apartments make up two buildings in a broader redevelopment area north of Princeton Junction Station. A condo building and several blocks of townhomes were also added recently by Pulte Homes. Before this was constructed, the site featured a number of underused and fairly-decrepit office buildings.
The Pulte units are for-sale homes, and apparently they have all sold already. The apartments, condos, townhouses, playground, and public square fit together into something that feels more like a traditional town than the ‘plain-vanilla’ subdivisions that make up many New Jersey suburbs. Of course a lot of people like plain vanilla, but the success of this redevelopment shows that there is also demand for compact, walkable living in New Jersey. A further 180 homes could soon be added to the site if approval is granted for a senior living complex right next door to Avalon W Squared.
Access to the development is from Washington Road. Road improvements, including a new roundabout, were added by Avalon Bay. These improvements have clearly made traffic flow better and more safely compared to the confusing intersection that was there before. Walking paths have also been installed throughout the area.
This redevelopment was a long time coming, with Avalon Bay involved for over 10 years on the project. Senior Vice-President Ron Ladell mentioned that the development had been “complicated” and “difficult”. The apartments would probably never have been built if the site had not been included in West Windsor’s 2018 plan to meet state housing requirements. Ladell gave credit to Senior Director of Development Ludivine O’Toole for pushing the project to completion. Ultimately, the outcome seems like a huge success, activating the area next to Princeton Junction station with a real walkable community, which is likely to get even better as the retail spaces around the central ‘Promenade’ starts to get leased-out.
Note: Avalon Bay will become ‘Vivmark Residential‘ as part of a merger this year.
Related links:
walkableprinceton 