Hinds Plaza in walkable downtown Princeton. What does 2017 hold? (click to expand)
With 2016 at an end, it’s time to look toward what the new year holds for walkable living and development in Princeton. Every year, we try to guess what will happen in the coming 12 months. Which of our guesses do you think are right, and what else do you expect will happen in 2017?
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Where is this? (click to expand)
Who said Jersey is one big sprawl? We have a ton of walkable towns – places where you can get to work, grab a beer, or hit some stores without getting in a car. Some of these towns are playgrounds for lovers of boutique shopping. Others are pretty gritty, and could use some love. But they are all authentic places, with real history, and a strong sense of place. Last year, we set the original Walkable Holiday Quiz (click here to play the 2015 quiz again). And now we’re doing it again! Your clue is that all these towns are in and around Central NJ. See how many you can get right!
#1. See photo above. What walkable place is this?
Clue: Possibly the only town in New Jersey to have regular rail service using a steam locomotive!
Institute of Advanced Studies, Princeton. (click to expand)
The deal that was announced yesterday between the Institute of Advanced Study and local preservationists apparently aims to achieve 2 things: allow the Institute to build faculty housing (as it has been trying to do since 2003) and at the same time preserve a field that preservationists believe was the site of a pivotal moment in the Battle of Princeton in 1777. The agreement would suspend a court case filed by opponents of the plan, and create an opportunity to extend the Battlefield State Park through a sale of some of the land by the Institute. Continue reading
‘The Yard’ at street level, Union Street, New Brunswick, NJ. (click to expand)
Earlier this semester, Rutgers University opened a significant new addition. ‘The Yard‘ replaced a parking lot at Hamilton St and College Ave in New Brunswick. Imagined as a ‘front porch’ for the campus, the project features a mixture of stores and apartments arranged around a park. But how successful is it? Continue reading
Historic townhouses in Trenton’s walkable Mill Hill neighborhood. (click to expand)
Last weekend was the Mill Hill Holiday House Tour. Now in its 50th year, the event allows members of the public into the homes of Mill Hill residents, offering a view of one of Trenton’s most interesting neighborhoods. Continue reading
‘The Waxwood’ in Princeton. (click to expand)
Princeton Council spent over an hour at their meeting on Monday night night debating whether to convert 5 affordable rentals at ‘The Waxwood’ condominium to ‘for-sale’ units. Council members couldn’t agree about whether it is appropriate – and the bigger question about what to do about Princeton’s unmet affordable housing need is also going unanswered. Continue reading
Part of newly-redeveloped housing at Princeton University’s Merwick-Stanworth site (click to expand)
Princeton University’s big redevelopment of the Merwick-Stanworth site is now almost complete. The construction, which is located on the east side of Bayard Lane (Route 206) between Leigh Avenue and the Princeton YMCA site, broke ground in late 2013. A map is available here. It is one of the biggest new residential projects in Princeton in recent years. We took a walk around to check it out… Continue reading
World Trade Center Memorial and new PATH Station (click to expand)
A couple of weeks ago, I finally got the chance to visit the new World Trade Center PATH station in New York, which its spectacular ‘Oculus’ hall. The station is absolutely amazing, and a fitting addition to the world’s greatest city. Visitors can’t help but gather and gawk at the beautiful structure, which was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava to resemble the wings of a dove in flight. The cathedral-like serenity inside stands as a contrast to the downtown hustle outside. The contrast to the decrepit, chaotic New York Penn Station could hardly be greater for Jersey commuters traveling into the city. Continue reading
Princeton Mayoral Candidates, Liz Lempert and Peter Marks (click to expand)
Princeton will elect a Mayor in the Election next Tuesday, November 8. Voters will choose between incumbent Liz Lempert (Democrat) and challenger Peter Marks (Republican). In their recent debate hosted by the League of Women Voters, the questions touched on many issues of planning, development and neighborhood character. We followed up with the candidates with some questions of our own, to help local residents make up their mind about who our next Mayor should be. Continue reading
New bikeshare dock (click to expand)
Short-term bike rental has arrived in the town of Princeton with the addition of a new bikeshare station next to McCaffrey’s supermarket at the Princeton Shopping Center. The new station features Zagster bikeshare cycles, the same as those found at the bikeshare that first launched by Princeton University at the new Princeton Rail station in November 2014. The University subsequently expanded its Zagster bikeshare scheme to nine docks in March of this year. All the previous bikeshare stations were at University properties in town or at the Forrestal campus in Plainsboro. The new bikeshare dock is the first in Princeton at a non-University location. It is next to the bus stop, by McCaffrey’s at the Princeton Shopping Center at 301 North Harrison Street. Continue reading
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