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
Map of new configuration for streets in downtown Princeton, passed by Council on 06.14.2020. (click to expand)
Part of Witherspoon Street will become one-way only, with much of the space being given over for outdoor dining at local businesses, according to a plan adopted by Princeton Council on Monday night. The plan is the town’s response to the coronavirus crisis. Many local businesses were closed, or saw huge decreases in trade when New Jersey was under a ‘stay-at-home’ order intended to slow spread of the virus. As businesses re-open around the state, many towns are repurposing street space to make it easier for diners to eat outside, where virus spread is considered to be less likely. By changing Witherspoon Street to one-way traffic only between Nassau Street and Spring Street, Princeton will free up a lot of street space that can be used to place tables to help support nearby businesses and ensure safe ‘social distancing’ between diners. Continue reading
Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons statues by Stephen Zorochin, at the Gulf Station in Princeton. (click to expand)
A new figure has appeared on Nassau Street in Princeton! Fowler’s Gulf Service Station at 271 Nassau Street has since 2017 attracted visitors to see the “Sea Sea Rider” sculpture of famed New Jersey rocker, Bruce Springsteen. In recent weeks, the statue of Springsteen has been joined by one of Clarence Clemons, the long-time saxophonist from the E Street Band.
Rendering of proposed mixed-use development at Griggs Corner in Princeton. (click to expand)
On Wednesday night, the Princeton Site Plan Review Advisory Board (SPRAB) considered an application to redevelop a surface parking lot at Witherspoon Street and Hulfish Street in downtown Princeton. The site, known as ‘Griggs Corner’, is across the street from Princeton Public Library. It has been used as a surface parking lot since 1992. Before that, it was a gas station, and going further back, it was used for a mixture of residential and commercial uses. Palmer Square Management, which owns the site, is now aiming to reuse the site by building a three-story development, containing retail uses on the ground floor, with residential living above.
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