You’re Not Imagining It: Princeton Really Is Getting Wetter

Posted on May 23, 2019 by walkableprinceton

Rainbow over Princeton Shopping Center after recent wet weather. (click to expand)

After a very wet April and May, Princeton residents might be asking “why is it always raining??” According to data from the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist, the answer is clear: it’s Climate Change. Last year was the wettest fall on record in New Jersey, and rainfall totals are well above average throughout Central and Northern NJ in the last couple of months. According to Sustainable Princeton’s recently-published Draft Climate Action Plan (read it here), average temperatures in Princeton are now 4 degrees higher than they were back in the day. Continue reading →

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‘Bon Appetit’ Kiosk Opens At Carnevale Plaza On Nassau Street

Posted on May 20, 2019 by walkableprinceton

New ‘Bon Appetit’ food kiosk at Carnevale Plaza. (click to expand)

‘Bon Appetit‘, a mainstay of Princeton Shopping Center since 1967, opened a new outlet last Thursday at 255 Nassau Street (click here for map). The new Bon Appetit kiosk serves crepes, waffles, sandwiches and drinks.  Continue reading →

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More Details About New Princeton University Colleges

Posted on May 8, 2019 by walkableprinceton

Rendering of new residential colleges at Princeton University, as seen from Poe Field. (click to expand)

Earlier this year, Princeton University made a presentation to the Princeton Planning Board about their new Colleges. The two new Colleges are intended firstly to provide a residence for 500 extra undergraduates that the University intends to enroll as its student body expands. The new Colleges will also provide ‘swing space’, providing a temporary home for existing undergraduates during redevelopment of aging College buildings. We reported about the proposed development in February of this year. Ronald McCoy, the Princeton University Architect, presented about the Concept Plan for the new Colleges, assisted by attorney Christopher DeGrezia, and Maitland Jones, who was representing Deborah Berke Partners, the firm that is designing the new buildings.

Continue reading →

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Historic Princeton Nursery Warehouses Face Demolition After South Brunswick Shoots Down Redevelopment Propsosal

Posted on May 2, 2019 by walkableprinceton

Part of the old Princeton Nurseries complex in Kingston NJ (Image via CKCurtis via FPNL, click to expand)

In Kingston NJ, just across Carnegie Lake from Princeton, the ‘Mapleton Preserve‘ offers open space and a chance to connect to nature. The site was formerly part of the largest commercial nursery in the USA, ‘Princeton Nurseries‘. After its closure in 1995, a significant part of the Princeton Nurseries land was preserved. The 53 acre core of preserved area, including the most significant nursery buildings, became the Mapleton Preserve. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and South Brunswick Township established the ‘Mapleton Preserve Commission’, to ensure that the land could be managed for recreation and conservation purposes, for passive recreation, historic preservation, and nature preserve purposes, as well as historic agricultural and horticultural activities. In order to meet the goals set for the Preserve, the Commission developed a creative plan for development to preserve the historic landscape  including its buildings. This week, however, the redevelopment proposal was withdrawn after substantial local opposition, and the historic warehouse buildings now face demolition. Continue reading →

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Despite Increased Meter Rates, Drivers Still Prefer To Park On The Street In Princeton

Posted on April 15, 2019 by walkableprinceton

Cars parked on Hulfish Street in Princeton on April 13 2019. (click to expand)

Princeton Council meets Monday night to consider the impact of recent changes to street parking in downtown Princeton, which included the first increase in parking meter rates for many years. Local merchants have sent letters to local media, arguing that “fewer people are coming to our downtown to shop” and commenters on social media have argued that they are no longer coming to Princeton to shop because of the higher parking rates. If the new meter rates were really scaring away potential customers of downtown Princeton stores, you might expect to find lots of empty street parking spaces. The reality was rather different on Saturday afternoon, however, as every available metered parking space in downtown Princeton seemed to be taken. Continue reading →

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Rutgers University Dedicates “Paul Robeson Plaza” in New Brunswick, NJ

Posted on April 12, 2019 by walkableprinceton

“Paul Robeson Plaza” in New Brunswick, NJ, which was dedicated today. (click to expand)

Rutgers University today dedicated a new plaza in downtown New Brunswick in honor of Paul Robeson. The famed former Princeton resident graduated from Rutgers as class valedictorian 100 years ago, in 1919. He became internationally famous as a singer, actor, and activist for social justice, before his career was cut short by harassment from government agencies. The construction of ‘Robeson Plaza’ was enabled by a gift of the Rutgers Class of 1971 and the work of the Rutgers African-American Alumni Alliance. Continue reading →

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Princeton Residents Express Anger After Town Builds Gas Station In Residential Area

Posted on March 19, 2019 by walkableprinceton

The new municipal fueling station on Mt Lucas Road in Princeton. It was built without any consultation of neighbors. (click to expand).

Laurel Road residents attended the Princeton Council meeting last Monday to express fury at the unexpected construction of a new gas station at the bottom of Mt Lucas Road. The gas station – which is in a residential R-6 zone – was built without any public consultation. Many neighbors only found out about it when a construction crew appeared in February to start building. It replaces a grassy area where trees had grown and where sculptures were on display. The residents were also angry that the town was closing part of Terhune Road without having any alternative circulation plan in place. Continue reading →

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Princeton Council Planning 65-Unit Affordable Housing Project Off Mt Lucas Road

Posted on March 10, 2019 by walkableprinceton

Proposed site of new affordable housing zone, from 2019-03-10 Council meeting materials. (click to expand)

The Governing Body of the town of Princeton will consider an ordinance on Monday night (March 11, 2019) to create a new affordable housing zone at the intersection of Mt Lucas Road and Herrontown Road. The proposed ordinance  would re-zone a 3-acre parcel to allow construction of up to 65 units of medium-density, multi-family affordable housing. It is not clear at this time how construction of affordable housing at this site would be funded. The site appears to be the former home of the SAVE animal shelter, which was vacated in 2015. The neighboring sites include homes on Old Orchard Lane, an office park on Herrontown Road, and the Acorn Glen assisted-living community. Continue reading →

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Site Plan And Details of Princeton Ridge ‘Lanwin’ Development Proposal

Posted on March 7, 2019 by walkableprinceton

Boundaries of site for proposed new houses off Herrentown Road in Princeton. (click to expand)

The Lanwin Development corporation is proposing to build a new subdivision on the Princeton Ridge, which will be discussed in the Princeton Planning Board meeting tonight (March 7, 2019 – but may be continued to the meeting on April 4). The project site would be at the top of Bunn Drive on Herrontown Road, on what is currently a wooded site (see photo above). The site is across the road from the Stone Hill Church of Princeton. There are existing homes in the area, on Herrontown Lane, and to the north, the townhouse developments off Blue Spring Road in Montgomery Township. This is one of the most car-dependent parts of Princeton, with a walkscore of just 5 out of 100. Decades ago, former residents tried to farm this rocky area, and two derelict dwellings still stand on the land.  Continue reading →

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Proposed Downzoning Would Block Construction of Many Traditional Princeton Homes

Posted on February 25, 2019 by walkableprinceton

Homes on Leigh Avenue in Princeton. (click to expand, image via Google Maps)

Princeton Council will tonight hold a hearing on a revision to the town’s zoning code, to further restrict the types of houses that can be built in town. Based on a perception that there are too many large houses being built, members of Council are aiming to make it much harder for people with smaller-than-average plots of land to build bigger homes. The problem is that in this case, the proposed change would make it illegal to build many traditional Princeton homes. Continue reading →

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