The Greater Princeton: A Smart Growth Vision for the Princeton Region

Posted on January 24, 2018 by walkableprinceton

Blatchford Development in Edmonton, Canada (Could be Princeton or West Windsor)

This post was submitted by a guest blogger.

Princeton and its surrounding communities are at a turning point and need to make critical decisions about how they want to grow. The affordable housing obligations now being determined will very likely require much more development, and there is a pressing housing shortage. Moreover, there is a retail and suburban office space apocalypse upon us. Do they want to continue encouraging business as usual auto-dependent sprawl? Or do they want to make strategically guided equitable smart growth development on public transit and create walkable sustainable lifestyles that people are seeking?

Continue reading →

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Site Plan for New PFARS Ambulance Station at Witherspoon St and Valley Road in Princeton

Posted on January 9, 2018 by walkableprinceton

Rendering of concept for new Princeton First Aid and Rescue Service amublance station at Valley Road in Princeton (click to expand)

On Wednesday evening, January 10, Princeton’s Site Plan Review Advisory Board will consider a plan for a new Princeton First Aid & Rescue ambulance station at Witherspoon Street and Valley Road. The plan to move PFARS from their current home at Clearview Ave to this site has been discussed since 2014. It is expected to cost $7.5 million. We obtained the site plans and rendering of the current concept from the Princeton Zoning Department (apologies for low quality of the pictures). The site is at the intersection of Continue reading →

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10 Princeton Predictions for 2018

Posted on December 31, 2017 by walkableprinceton

What changes are coming in Princeton in 2018? (click to expand)

The year 2017 saw some ‘interesting’ developments in Princeton, although everything local was kinda overshadowed by Trump. What about 2018? What does it have in store? Here are 10 predictions… remember, 6 of our predictions from last year turned out to be correct! (see bottom for proof!) Read on…and try to guess how many of our latest predictions will turn out to be right! Continue reading →

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Princeton University Names Site For New Residential College

Posted on December 5, 2017 by walkableprinceton

Proposed site for new Princeton University residential college. Via www.princeton.edu (click to expand)

Princeton University just released an update to their long-range campus planning exercise. As expected, the University is planning to add a new residential college, to accommodate an increase in undergraduate numbers of 10%. The site for the new college will be down-campus from Butler College, at Elm Drive and South Drive (next to the existing soccer field, see image above).  Continue reading →

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How Princeton Could Fund New Affordable Housing

Posted on November 23, 2017 by walkableprinceton

‘Carnevale Plaza’ on Nassau Street, under construction in March 2016. The complex includes 5 below-market-rate rentals. (click to expand)

A ruling is expected soon in the Mercer County affordable housing trial, which is likely to require Princeton to supply hundreds of new affordable homes. We already considered where the new homes might go. And recently, planners gave some clues about sites they are considering for housing. But how will the town pay for the new homes? And will it mean higher property taxes? Continue reading →

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Planners Eye Seminary, Princeton Shopping Center As Sites For New Housing

Posted on November 13, 2017 by walkableprinceton

Tennent Hall, Princeton Theological Seminary (click to expand)

Princeton’s Planning Board last week passed a Reexamination Report for the Community Masterplan. The report, which must be prepared regularly according to state law, contains a list of problems facing the community and what planning remedies will be used to address those problems. As could be expected, affordable housing and traffic are mentioned as issues facing the town of Princeton, and the report gives some insight into where planners are considering as potential sites for new housing. Continue reading →

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Princeton’s NJ State Senator, Kip Bateman, Talks Priorities Ahead of Re-Election Bid

Posted on November 2, 2017 by walkableprinceton

Incumbent NJ-16 State Senator Christopher ‘Kip’ Bateman (click to expand)

On November 7, voters in Princeton will elect two new representatives to the New Jersey State Assembly, and one Senator for the New Jersey State Senate. Princeton is in the competitive NJ-16 district, currently represented by State Senator Christopher ‘Kip’ Bateman (R), and State Assembly Reps Andrew Zwicker (D) and Jack Ciattarelli (R). We reached out to all the candidates for these positions, to try to find out about their goals, and their policies on housing and transportation. Unfortunately none of the Democratic candidates for State office (Andrew Zwicker, Roy Freiman, Laurie Poppe) responded to our requests for comment. Republican Assembly candidates Donna Simon and Jack Caliguire also declined to respond.  However, incumbent State Senator Kip Bateman did respond! Continue reading →

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Princeton Council Candidates For 2017 Talk Goals, Housing, Transportation

Posted on November 1, 2017 by walkableprinceton

Princeton Council Candidates Leticia Fraga (left) and David Cohen (right). (click to expand)

Each year, we pose questions to candidates for local office ahead of the November election. This year, Princeton is electing two new Council members. Democrats Leticia Fraga and David Cohen are running to replace outgoing Council members Bernie Miller and Jo Butler. No Republicans are running in this cycle. Why are Leticia and David running for office? And what are their thoughts on housing and transportation? Continue reading →

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A Closer Look At Princeton’s “Eruv”

Posted on October 8, 2017 by walkableprinceton

Utility pole with attached pole to mark edge of Princeton ‘eruv’ (click to expand).

In 2015, the town of Princeton approved a plan by Princeton University to install an ‘eruv’ around several local neighborhoods. An eruv is “a symbolic enclosure that allows observant Jews, mostly of the Orthodox community, to carry objects outdoors on the Sabbath”. In practice, it takes the form of a number of poles that are attached to the side of utility poles. Most residents probably didn’t even notice the eruv being constructed, but walking around Princeton, it is possible to spot the poles that mark its boundary. They aren’t on every utility pole, just some number of poles around the edge of the eruv. The picture above shows one at the intersection of Jefferson Road and Terhune Road. It’s a thin, gray plastic pipe about 20-ft tall. Continue reading →

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Bus Rapid Transit Comes To US-1 But Not (Yet) In Princeton

Posted on September 22, 2017 by walkableprinceton

US-1 busway in Alexandria, VA (click to expand)

New Jersey Department of Transport (NJDOT) recently allowed cars to drive on shoulder lanes on part of US-1, a key highway in Central New Jersey which runs past Princeton and connects local towns like West Windsor, Plainsboro and South Brunswick. Allowing car drivers to drive on the shoulder lanes is intended to ‘reduce rush hour congestion’. But this new traffic alignment is quite different to what was proposed by a joint NJDOT-Rutgers University study in 2010. This ‘US-1 Growth Strategy’ envisioned  ‘growth centers’ in the Central Jersey region, which would allow green space and existing neighborhoods to be protected, and which would be linked by a new ‘Bus Rapid Transit’ system on Route 1. This ‘Bus Rapid Transit’ (BRT) has not been built – instead, we are expanding lanes for cars. But in Virginia, BRT was built, so we can see how it would work. Continue reading →

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