World Trade Center PATH Station Is Amazing And Worth The Money

Posted on November 15, 2016 by walkableprinceton
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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 →

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Princeton Mayoral Candidates Talk Planning, Affordability

Posted on November 1, 2016 by walkableprinceton
Princeton Mayoral Candidates, Liz Limpet and Peter Marks (click to expand)

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 →

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New Bikeshare Dock Added At Princeton Shopping Center

Posted on October 25, 2016 by walkableprinceton
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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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A View of The Dreaming Spires of Princeton

Posted on October 24, 2016 by walkableprinceton
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View of Princeton from the 6th floor of UMCPP Hospital in Plainsboro.

If you happen to find yourself on the 6th floor of the University Medical Center of Princeton in Plainsboro, you will get a rare opportunity…. The wards offer a really beautiful view of Princeton and the surrounding area, with the Millstone River and surrounding parkland in the foreground. How many buildings in Princeton can you spot?

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New Jersey Gas Tax Deal: Stop Calling It ‘Regressive’

Posted on October 11, 2016 by walkableprinceton
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Route 1 near Princeton – operated by NJDOT using funds from the New Jersey gas tax. (click to expand)

This week, Governor Christie is expected to sign into law a new deal to fund the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund (TTF). The TTF, which funds state transportation projects, had reached a point where existing funds could only pay off interest on bonds taken out to pay for previous projects – no money was left to start new projects to build roads, repair bridges, or make needed improvements to help people move around the state. After months of haggling, the NJ State Assembly and Senate passed a deal last week, which will see the state gas tax increase to provide new funds for the TTF. In exchange – and in response to demands form Governor Christie – the state sales tax will be trimmed, along with a blend of other tax cuts, including phasing out the estate tax. We called for a gas tax increase years ago, and although the deal is messy and overdue, it is still necessary. Continue reading →

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New Princeton Zoning Task Force Launches, As Obama Urges Flexibility

Posted on September 26, 2016 by walkableprinceton
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Historic downtown Princeton offers housing choices (click to expand)

This week sees the first public meeting of Princeton’s new ‘Neighborhood Character and Zoning Initiative’. Consultants hired by the town will make a public presentation, with the aim of creating “strategies, policies, guidelines, and regulations that will shape future home development activities so their outcomes better complement the traditional character and form of Princeton’s residential neighborhoods and streets.” The task force plans “short-term, medium-term, and long-term” changes to local zoning, apparently with the goal of preventing ‘tear-downs’ and ensuring a greater degree of conformity with existing properties. But just as Princeton begins to further ratchet up zoning controls, the Obama White House has released a new policy document, urging looser controls on development. Who’s right?

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Princeton Traffic Calming Now Comes With Extra Rumble Rumble

Posted on August 31, 2016 by walkableprinceton
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‘Rumble strip’ speed control device at Jefferson Road and Terhune, Princeton. (click to expand)

Many Princeton residents complain about speeding cars on their local streets. The town, however, banned speed bumps through a Council ordinance in 2013. With no speed bump option, the town is increasingly making use of ‘rumble strips‘ to limit speed at intersections around Princeton. The rumble strips look like painted white lines across the road lane, but are in fact made of a small ridge of hardened thermoplastic that transmits vibrations and an audible ‘rumble’ to drivers. Recently, rumble strips have been added on Terhune Road at the intersection with Jefferson Road, as shown in the picture above. But this speed reduction technique is also  Continue reading →

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The Virtual War To Control Princeton’s Historic Sites

Posted on July 31, 2016 by walkableprinceton
Christ's Congregation Church on Walnut Ave in Princeton. (click to expand)

Christ Congregation Church on Walnut Lane in Princeton – which is also a key site in the online game ‘Ingress’. (click to expand)

The Pokémon Go craze has occupied many news stories this summer as kids of all ages have discovered the joys of chasing virtual creatures around real-world locations using their smartphones. Pokémon Go is a product of Google offshoot Niantic Labs, and has many similarities to their earlier game, ‘Ingress‘, which has been running since 2012. For Ingress players, Princeton is not just a cultured college town, but a battlefield for an online war to control culturally-significant sites.
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New Sidewalk Commissioned On Shadybrook Lane In Princeton

Posted on June 28, 2016 by walkableprinceton
New sidewalk under construction, Shadybrook Lane, Littlebrook neighborhood, Princeton (click to expand)

New sidewalk under construction, Shadybrook Lane, Littlebrook neighborhood, Princeton (click to expand)

A new sidewalk has been added to a section of Shadybrook Lane in Princeton’s Littlebrook neighborhood, and it’s a bit of an interesting case. Sidewalks in Princeton are usually added as part of specific road improvement or sewer upgrade projects. If the road is part of the municipal sidewalk masterplan, a new path is laid as part of the wider project. A sidewalk is being constructed on Valley Road right now, for example, as part of a big engineering project that will also see new sewer pipes put down.  Continue reading →

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Avalon Princeton Announces Apartment Rates: One-Beds To Start At $2,655 per month.

Posted on May 24, 2016 by walkableprinceton
One-bed apartment plan. (Via avaloncommunities.com) (click to expand)

One-bed apartment plan at new Avalon Bay apartments in Princeton. (Via avaloncommunities.com, click to expand)

Avalon Bay has released floor plans and prices for their new apartments on Witherspoon Street in Princeton. The apartments are currently under construction, but are listed as available for move-in from August 19, 2016. The apartment community will eventually have 256 units, making it one of the biggest in Princeton. It is easily walkable to downtown and Princeton University campus. As expected, the apartments are pretty expensive… Continue reading →

Posted in Affordability, Princeton | 1 Comment