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
The Teresa Caffe outdoor pizza oven, which will be set up in Palmer Square in downtown Princeton. (click to expand)
Princeton Council tonight approved an application by the owners of Teresa Caffe to place a mobile pizza oven at 29 Hulfish Street in downtown Princeton. The mobile oven will be located in a parking bay outside the ‘Mediterra‘ restaurant. The adjacent square with the fountain will be dedicated for outdoor dining, as part of Princeton’s continuing efforts to increase outdoor dining opportunities in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Continue reading
The south-east corner of Princeton Shopping Center, which has been identified as a potential site for new housing (click to expand)
At a marathon hearing on Thursday night, the Princeton Planning Board endorsed a new Fair Share Housing plan for the town of Princeton. The Board also approved several affordable housing ordinances, which had been sent for review by the Town Council. But several issues proved controversial, most notably the ‘concept plan’ for affordable housing at Princeton Shopping Center. Continue reading
Map of proposed new housing at Princeton Shopping Center (click to expand)
Tonight, the Princeton Planning Board will review the town’s plan to meet state-mandated affordable housing requirements. The plan has been developed over a period of several years, and envisages over 700 new housing units, as well as zoning changes to make it easier to add affordable housing in several areas. Although many of these proposals have been discussed in public meetings previously, the documents for tonight’s meeting provide an unprecedented level of detail about where and how the town will add new affordable homes. Among the sites for affordable housing is a major redevelopment at Princeton Shopping Center. According to the draft overlay, 200 new rental apartments will be built on the site of the existing Walgreens Pharmacy, which would be demolished, and rebuilt at a new location nearby. Continue reading
The new “Maggie’s Playground” in Princeton. (click to expand)
Good news for kids (and parents!)…all of Princeton’s outdoor playgrounds will re-open this week. The playgrounds were closed on March 17, as a result of state restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus. Those restrictions were lifted as of last week, and playgrounds in neighboring communities, such as South Brunswick, have already re-opened. Now, after 16 weeks without access to the swings and slides, Princeton families will again have the option of using our many local playgrounds. Continue reading
Rendering of possible Dinky train replacement, from NJ Transit Capital Plan. (click to expand)
A long-range capital plan released by NJ Transit earlier this month confirms that the agency is considering ways to replace the Dinky train, which runs between Princeton Rail Station and Princeton Junction. According to the capital plan, the existing overhead electrical wires, which power the existing Dinky train, would be removed as part of a potential upgrade. The estimated cost of the project is $61 million. Continue reading
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