‘Concept plan’ for new housing in the proposed ‘AH-7’ zone at 375 Terhune Road, Princeton (click to expand)
Princeton Council will consider a plan to rezone a plot of land at 375 Terhune Road at their meeting on Monday, November 2. The new zoning would permit construction of up to 30 new homes, and end a legal battle that had threatened the town’s affordable housing settlement.
Rendering of proposed Avalon Bay apartments at Thanet Road in Princeton (click to expand)
Princeton’s “Site Plan Review Advisory Board” examined a preliminary plan this week for a proposed apartment development on Thanet Road (map). The site was designated for housing as part of a plan adopted by the town earlier this year to meet state affordable housing requirements. Existing office buildings at Thanet Circle, which are mostly vacant, would be demolished to allow construction of two apartment developments. One of these would be built by Avalon Bay, and would include 221 homes. These new residential units would be in a range of townhouses and apartment buildings, rising to a maximum of four stories.
Part of Witherspoon Street was repurposed for street dining in summer 2020. (click to expand)
At a public meeting last week, representatives of the Princeton Engineering Department discussed plans for reconstruction of Witherspoon Street in downtown Princeton. The project is scheduled to begin next year, and the purpose of the meeting was to get further feedback about ideas for how to redesign Witherspoon St. Several concepts were presented. Witherspoon St between Nassau St and Spring St was converted to one-way traffic earlier this year, to create additional space for outdoor dining during the COVID-19 pandemic. Making this one-way concept permanent is one option that is being considered. Other options range from restoring two-way traffic, to closing the road to through traffic altogether. To evaluate which design option was preferred by the public, the engineers set up an online poll, and at the time of the meeting, the ‘overwhelming’ preference shown by Continue reading
Two events are happening this week to mark ‘Bike To Work’ Week (click to expand)
‘Bike To Work Week’ 2020 has been moved from its usual slot in May to this week, September 21-27, because of the coronavirus lockdown that struck earlier this year. Local transportation agencies Greater Mercer TMA and Keep Middlesex Moving are encouraging commuters to leave their car at home, and consider alternatives including biking. Here in Princeton, two events will be taking place to mark the occasion. First, on Wednesday, September 23, Continue reading
Witherspoon Street closed to motor vehicles during ‘Communiversity’ in Princeton. (click to expand)
The Princeton Municipal Engineering Department is considering the possibility of permanently closing part of Witherspoon Street to motor vehicles, as part of a consultation on planned improvements to the streetscape. The current project involves the southern end of Witherspoon Street, between Nassau Street and Green Street, and is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2021. An initial community consultation took place at Monument Hall in Princeton on February 13. The public comments collected at that meeting can be viewed on the municipal website, and indicated substantial support for improved biking and walking facilities, and even for dedicating Witherspoon Street in downtown Princeton as a pedestrian area, similar to those seen in several other college towns.
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e-Scooters on College Ave in New Brunswick, NJ (click to expand)
A new electric-scooter (e-scooter) program has launched in New Brunswick, NJ. An email on Thursday from the Rutgers University Department of Institutional Planning and Operations announced the launch of the program, and by the afternoon, many young people could be seen whizzing around the city on the new scooters. Continue reading
Home for rent on North Tulane Street in Princeton (click to expand).
How much should you expect to pay for apartment rentals in Princeton? We took a look through the listings to try to find out what the going rate is for apartments in central Princeton in August 2020. We last looked at Princeton rental rates one year go, in August 2019.
Sketch of proposed new hotel at 20 Nassau Street in Princeton, NJ (click to expand)
Last year, it was announced that Graduate Hotels had purchased 20 Nassau Street, a large building in downtown Princeton that has most recently been used for retail uses and offices (map). Graduate Hotels manages boutique hotels in around 30 locations in the USA. At a recent neighborhood meeting, they shared further concept plans about how the new hotel in downtown Princeton might look. The images shown here are from the presentation.
375 Terhune Road, Princeton (click to expand)
The town of Princeton’s plan to redevelop the Thanet Circle office park (map) has become the subject of a court challenge in Mercer County Superior Court. A company known as “375 Terhune Road, LLC” is suing the town, alleging that the process used to redevelop the site did not meet legal standards, and should be overturned. If successful, the case could delay or prevent the proposed redevelopment of the site with 300 new apartments.
The Franklin Ave parking lot, a potential affordable housing site (click to expand)
In 2014, Princeton University donated a disused parking lot on Franklin Avenue (map) to the town of Princeton. The parking lot has not been used much since, but at their meeting on Monday night, Princeton Council took the first steps toward rezoning the land for housing. At a minimum, the site will be used for 80 units of affordable housing, but Council is also considering an alternative plan that would allow for up to 160 homes, including new ground floor retail at the nearby intersection with Witherspoon Street. Continue reading
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