In recent years, a number of large new apartment buildings have been constructed in Princeton. How have they affected rental rates around the town? To find out, we reviewed rental rates for apartments listed online, and compared them to last year. We last did a similar survey in September 2024 (Report: Princeton, NJ Apartment Rents Increasing Less Than Home Prices in 2024).
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Award-winning local design firm JZA+D have announced the completion of their latest project, a six-unit apartment complex at 166-168 John Street (map). The development adds new homes in a highly-walkable area, close to Princeton University and downtown. The new homes have been a long time coming, however, with the original approval granted in September 2020. At that time, there was substantial opposition to the plan from the Historic Preservation Commission and local neighbors. Even the blue color of the buildings became a significant source of controversy, with historic preservationists arguing that it was an unacceptable color in the Witherspoon-Jackson Historic District.
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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.”
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The director of the Princeton University Art Museum, James Steward, has overseen the construction of a magnificent new building, which will open later this month (report: New Princeton University Art Museum To Open 10/31/25 With 24-Hour Celebration). But Mr. Steward has nonetheless found the time to weigh in on a local dispute about affordable housing. As reported in ‘Tap Into Princeton’, Mr. Steward posted a series of remarks last Thursday on Facebook, disputing the value of a proposed mixed-income housing complex. The new housing is planned as part of the town’s state-mandated fair housing plan. The remarks drew some heated comments from local elected officials, who have worked for years to try to increase the supply of affordable housing in Princeton.
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“I want to go to bed! I don’t want to be up at this time of night!” That was one of a number of complaints leveled at the Princeton Planning Board by members of the public during an occasionally-testy discussion about plans to expand Littlebrook Elementary School. The Planning Board is currently considering expansion plans at multiple local schools. Six new classrooms and a new music suite will be added at Littlebrook Elementary, based on capital plans approved by voters in a 2024 bond referendum (Report: “Princeton School Board Unveils New Renderings Of Local Schools After Bond-funded Improvements“). Concerns did not focus so much on the classrooms as on plans for parking and a retention basin that is intended to manage stormwater run-off.
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Plans for new construction at the Princeton Middle School and Littlebrook Elementary were discussed by the Princeton Planning Board at their meeting on September 25. Both schools will be getting major additions, which have been funded by a school bond passed by local referendum in 2024. (See previous report: “Princeton School Board Unveils New Renderings Of Local Schools After Bond-funded Improvements“)
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Speaking at a Princeton Council meeting on Monday night, Princeton Police Captain Matthew Solovay responded to a recent ‘Walkable Princeton’ report showing that the number of speeding tickets issued by local cops has dropped by 85% since 2019. (Report from 9/21/2025: Princeton Police Now Issuing Less Than One Quarter As Many Speeding Tickets as Before Pandemic). His remarks came as part of a previously-scheduled discussion of the July and August Police Reports. Capt. Solovay agreed that the number of speeding tickets that are being issued has fallen “drastically” since 2019, but argued that it did not undermine the police force’s commitment to traffic safety. His full remarks are posted below.
Full statement by Princeton Police Captain Matthew Solovay at Princeton Council on 9/21/2025:
“The second item that I want to point out that’s reflected in these two reports was brought up by Councilman Cohen at the last meeting I was present at, and most recently it was referenced in articles in in local media, and that is the decline of speeding summones.
That trend is real, but it’s it isn’t sudden and it isn’t unique to Princeton. The issuance of motor vehicle traffic summons is drastically down across the state and the nation. The significant drop occurred in 2020 and speeding summons have remained relatively steady since that point and several factors contributed to this issue.
Staffing constraints, revisions to state legislation, changes in officer mentality, and a broader shift in policing toward education and officer discretion. Quite frankly, policing has changed since 2019. But what hasn’t changed is our commitment to safer streets. This is achieved through traffic engineering, education, and yes, enforcement.
We’re working handinhand with our municipal partners like Deanna [Stockton] and Jim [Purcell] to my left and their engineering teams. We work to find traffic engineering solutions. We’re expanding community education like our recent seminar for our community members over the summer involving vulnerable road users. And also through traffic enforcement. If you look at the reports, you’ll see motor vehicle enforcement is reflected and incurring in a form of motor vehicle stops. The thing that is changing is the outcome of those stops.
My plan moving forward is clear. Staffing a dedicated traffic safety bureau has been challenging in recent years due to vacancies. As we reach full strength in the coming months, we plan to assign additional officers to that unit that will allow more directed patrols, high visibility details, and follow-through on resident complaints. We want to maintain that balance between education and enforcement. Our ultimate goal isn’t to be known for summons production. Our goal is safe, welcoming roadways. engineering, education, and yes, traffic enforcement each play a role in making that a reality.”
Captain Solovay was also promotoed to be the new Princeton Police Chief as part of planned Council business on Monday night.
Related materials: (via princetonnj.gov)
On Tuesday night, September 23, Princeton Council will review the Princeton Police Reports for the months of July 2025 and August 2025. Anyone who pays attention to these police reports will have noticed an extraordinary fact: they show that Princeton police have basically stopped writing speeding tickets.
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The Princeton Zoning Board of Adjustment has approved a proposal to construct a new addition to the building at 254 Witherspoon St. The new building would allow an extension of the JZ&D architecture practice, which is already housed at the site, and provide a new laundromat at the ground floor level.
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A new program for girls in Princeton will launch next week at Community Park Elementary School. “Girls In Gear”, a non-profit with chapters in multiple states, will bring their unique curriculum of ‘life skills through bike skills’ to young riders, aiming to “make sure every girl has the chance to grow into the biggest, boldest, and brightest version of themselves – on and off their bike”.
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