Category Archives: Zoning

Showtime For AvalonBay At Princeton Planning Board

Princeton Hospital moved to Plainsboro last year, ending a 100-year tenure in town. The old hospital complex on Witherspoon Street went dark, and has been left to slowly decay ever since. UMPCC, the organization which runs the hospital, had sold … Continue reading

Posted in Density, Princeton, Smart Growth, Zoning | 2 Comments

Can We Bring Affordable Housing To Downtown Princeton?

Princeton Community Housing (PCH) offers affordable housing at four major sites in Princeton: Griggs Farm and Princeton Community Village, at the north end of town, and Elm Court and Harriet Bryan House, which are both age-restricted and located in the Western … Continue reading

Posted in Affordability, Princeton, Zoning | 1 Comment

A Tale Of Two Hotels

It’s easy to criticize with the benefit of hindsight, but the decision of Trenton City Council in 2000 to finance the construction of a hotel in downtown Trenton really looks like a disaster. As explained in the linked article from … Continue reading

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Princeton Realtors: People Want Walkable Housing.

A recent report from U.S.1 newspaper focused on how walkable housing is the hottest trend in Princeton-area real estate. After speaking to several local realtors, the authors noted, as we have pointed out previously, that housing close to stores and amenities is … Continue reading

Posted in Local, Smart Growth, Zoning | 5 Comments

Princeton Dog Park: Where Should It Go?

Back in March of this year, we heard about Will Ratner, a 7th-grader at JW Middle School, who had launched a campaign to bring an off-leash dog park to Princeton. We had planned to follow up about this, but in … Continue reading

Posted in Princeton, Zoning | 7 Comments

New Plan For Princeton Hospital Site Shows Major Improvements

A public meeting at Community Park School on Wednesday evening revealed a new proposal for redevelopment of the former hospital site in Princeton. Jon Vogel, vice-president of development at AvalonBay, led a series of presentations from architects, engineers and landscape … Continue reading

Posted in Affordability, Density, Downtown Vibrancy, Local, Princeton, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Traffic, Walking, Zoning | 7 Comments

New Princeton Hospital Site Plan Set To Be Unveiled Tonight At Community Park School

Barry Rabner, President of Princeton Healthcare System, the operator of University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro (UMCPP, formerly known as ‘Princeton Hospital’), was quoted this week in the Princeton Packet (potential paywall) on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of … Continue reading

Posted in Density, Princeton, Zoning | 4 Comments

Climate Change A Consequence Of Princeton Planning Decisions

This week we learned that carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have broken 400 parts per million for the first time in human history. 97% of atmospheric scientists believe that this is likely the cause of rising global temperatures and … Continue reading

Posted in Density, Downtown Vibrancy, Princeton, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Traffic, Zoning | 7 Comments

The Problem With Low-Density Housing, As Seen From Space

Last week, Google made available an astonishing resource, which enables us to review satellite imagery of anywhere in the US on an annual basis from 1984 through 2012. You can read about the project here. They were able to make … Continue reading

Posted in Local, Sustainability, Zoning | 2 Comments

Sunshine State Shows How Density = $$$

“Where Urban Amenities Meets Small-Town Living”. That phrase, which fits Princeton perfectly, is in fact the motto of Sarasota, Florida. Sarasota, a community of 56,000 people, is itself the major urban center of Sarasota County. Unlike the Princeton area, Sarasota … Continue reading

Posted in Density, Zoning | 8 Comments