Princeton Must Build Thousands Of New Homes. Where Can They Go?

Posted on June 9, 2017 by

Time to build: Princeton urgently needs to allow for construction of a huge amount of housing (click to expand)

The town of Princeton announced at the end of April that it will settle a court case about how much affordable housing the town will add through 2025. Six weeks on, the terms of the settlement are still shrouded in secrecy. Nobody at the town is talking, but it seems very likely that the town will have to add somewhere in the region of 700 new affordable homes. The town will build most of these as ‘inclusionary’ units in larger, market-rate developments, which means that several thousand homes will probably have to be built. But the settlement, when it comes, will not just say how many homes Princeton must allow. It will also specify the *sites* for new affordable homes, and set a timetable for zoning changes to allow the homes to be built. Members of the public are not getting the chance to comment on where the housing should go, but here are some ideas… Continue reading →

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Posted in Affordability, Density, Placemaking, planning, Princeton, Real estate, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Transit, Walking, Zoning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

New Guide To Princeton Published With Five Walking Tours

Posted on May 18, 2017 by

‘Discovering Princeton’ (2017) – by Wiebke Martens and Jennifer Jang (click to expand)

Weekend visitors to Princeton (and even long-time residents!) will want to grab a copy of a new guide, ‘Discovering Princeton’, which has just been published. The book, by local authors Wiebke Martens and Jennifer Jang, presents a wealth of beautiful photos and history, capturing many of the best places in town, and putting home in context. Best of all, the book is arranged with five self-guided ‘walking tours’, designed to allow the reader to explore the sites on foot!  Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Beautiful Walkable Princeton, People, Princeton, Walking | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Breaking: Town of Princeton Announces Affordable Housing Settlement

Posted on April 21, 2017 by

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The town of Princeton today announced that a settlement has been agreed in our ongoing court case regarding affordable housing. Although few details are available at this stage, a settlement is likely to pave the ways for Princeton to plan for provision of housing aimed at people on limited incomes. According to statements from the Mayor and Council previously, addition of new affordable housing is likely to also require construction of hundreds or thousands of new market-rate housing units, so this is potentially a momentous day for the future of Princeton planning.

We will post more news as it becomes available!

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Why I Don’t Live In Trenton

Posted on April 17, 2017 by

Trenton. (click to expand)

The short answer is “white privilege”. I can afford Princeton, and Princeton is pretty awesome. But as an urbanist, I actually *want* to live in Trenton. It’s affordable, diverse, has a real sense of character and history, and great transit links. I go there regularly for the  great urban cycling scene. So why not live there full-time, instead of in Princeton? It keeps coming up. Every time I say that Princeton needs more affordable housing and apartments, I get “Go live in a city like New York or Trenton!! They’ve got that stuff there!” Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Alternative Transportation, Biking, Downtown Vibrancy, Princeton | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Princeton Planning Board To Consider Draft Bike Master Plan – Key Details Are Missing

Posted on March 15, 2017 by

Detail from draft Princeton bike plan, showing ‘existing bike network’ in green and ‘proposed bikeways’ in purple. (click to expand)

On Thursday, March 16, the Princeton Planning Board will hold a work session to discuss a  ‘bike master plan’. The plan has been under development for several years, and is intended to create a safe network of routes to allow people on bikes to safely get around the town. If the Planning Board likes the approved plan, it will be added to the Circulation Element of the community Master Plan, which guides planning on transportation. Several key details are missing from the plan, however, which makes it hard to understand in its current form. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Biking, Complete Streets, planning, Princeton | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

NJ NAACP President: Town Of Princeton “Walking Away” From Commitment To Fair Housing

Posted on February 9, 2017 by
Richard T Smith, President of the New Jersey chapter of the NAACP. (click to expand, image msnbc.com via NJ NAACP)

Richard T Smith, President of the New Jersey chapter of the NAACP. (click to expand, image msnbc.com via NJ NAACP)

The President of the New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) has criticized the Governing Body of the town of Princeton for their current legal action on affordable housing allocations. In a statement provided to ‘Walkable Princeton’, NJ NAACP President Richard T Smith says the town is “walking away from its historic commitment to fair housing”, and urges Princeton leaders to “sit down and negotiate in good faith with advocates to reach a solution”. Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, People, Princeton | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Inside The Town Of Princeton’s Affordable Housing Trial

Posted on February 2, 2017 by
Judge Mary Jacobson overrules another objection from Edward Buzak, attorney representing Princeton and other Mercer County towns, as attorneys from Fair Share Housing Center cross-examine municipal witness David Angelides. (click to expand)

Judge Mary Jacobson overrules another objection from Edward Buzak, attorney representing Princeton and other Mercer County towns, as attorneys from Fair Share Housing Center cross-examine municipal witness Peter Angelides. (click to expand)

One way to mark African American History Month, which began yesterday, is to attend the Fair Housing trial that is currently taking place at Mercer Superior Court in Trenton. The trial features attorneys representing five suburban Mercer County Towns (including Princeton) versus the Fair Share Housing Center, a group that advocates for adherence to New Jersey’s Constitutionally-mandated affordable housing program. The two parties disagree over how much housing should be built, so Assigment Judge Mary Jacobson has scheduled months of hearings to try to evaluate each sides’ case. Princeton elected officials Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, People, planning, Princeton, Zoning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment