Details of Proposed Witherspoon-Jackson Historic District Presented At Princeton Town Hall Meeting

Posted on November 30, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Map of proposed historic designation area in Princeton (click to expand)

Map of proposed historic designation area in Princeton (click to expand)

Consultants hired by the town of Princeton presented a proposal for a new historic district at a meeting Monday night at Princeton Town Hall. The consultant’s work was to identify if some area around the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood would fit requirements for a legally-defined historic district. After considering the history of the local area,  the consultants concluded that a new district could be justified as a ‘distinct neighborhood in Princeton within the context of racial discrimination against its African American residents’. They also argued that the neighborhood has sufficient integrity and character to warrant designation. Continue reading →

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New Report Aims To Guide Maintenance Of Princeton’s Open Spaces

Posted on November 24, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Preserved woodland and wetlands in Princeton's Woodfield Reservation. (click to expand)

Preserved woodland and wetlands in Princeton’s Woodfield Reservation. (click to expand)

Earlier this year, the town of Princeton set up an ‘Open Space Advisory Committee’, to look at how best to maintain our protected woodlands and green areas. On Monday night, committee chair Wendy Mager presented a new report from the 12-member task force to Council. The report contains recommendations for the town about how to improve trails and manage invasive species, but Council members seemed skeptical about implementing all the proposals. Continue reading →

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New ‘Little Free Libraries’ Appear In Littlebrook Neighborhood

Posted on November 20, 2015 by walkableprinceton
"Little Free Library of Snowden Farms" (click to expand).

“Little Free Library of Snowden Farms” (click to expand).

A new ‘Little Free Library’ has been dedicated on Snowden Lane in Princeton. Little Free Libraries are community book exchanges where local neighbors can share books. No membership is required, and people are free to take or drop off books as they like. They are constructed and maintained by residents who act as ‘stewards’. This particular library is a jaunty green and red, and is labeled as ‘Little Free Library of Snowden Farms’.  Continue reading →

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Princeton Council Struggles With “Anti-McMansion” Regulations

Posted on November 18, 2015 by walkableprinceton
A current knock-down / rebuild project in Princeton. (click to expand).

A tear-down / rebuild job in Princeton. (click to expand).

“Control the size of houses and where they are built”. That was the target of Princeton Council at their meeting last week. Like many prosperous places, Princeton seems in the grip of teardown fever, as developers replace modest mid-20th-century homes with larger, more modern models. Planning Director Lee Solow suggested four different measures to make this harder, but unintended consequences seem likely… Continue reading →

Posted in planning, Princeton, Real estate, Zoning | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Town To Host Public Meeting To Get Input On ‘Bike Masterplan’

Posted on November 12, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Bikes in Princeton (click to expand.)

Bikes in Princeton (click to expand).

Thursday evening, November 12, the town of Princeton will host a public meeting (details below) to get input on the creation of a new ‘Bicycle Circulation Plan’. Earlier this year, Princeton successfully applied for a program to fund a team of consutants to work with members of the public to figure out how best to enable safe movement of people on bikes around the town. This will be the first of several public meetings between the consultants and local residents. The new plan offers an opportunity to help address traffic problems around Princeton, and to find safe places for people to ride without annoying walkers on local sidewalks. It also features a much greater push for public consultation than is typical for town planning exercises. Continue reading →

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Three Observations From Princeton Local Election Of November 3, 2015

Posted on November 9, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Princeton High School with snow and moon. (click to expand.)

Princeton High School: Voters didn’t respond to supposed capacity issues. (click to expand.)

Princeton voters were among those casting their votes in an election on November 3 last week. By now the results are clear, with most incumbents being returned at County and Council level, and Andrew Zwicker (D) set to score an upset by unseating Donna Simon (R) for the 16th NJ Assembly seat. Here are three stories ‘behind the headlines’: Continue reading →

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Princeton Named “USA’s Best Small City”. But Is It Really A City?

Posted on November 5, 2015 by walkableprinceton
DSC02166

Tiger Transit bus at intersection of Nassau Street and Witherspoon Street, center of the ‘Best Small City’ in the USA. (click to expand)

Princeton was named ‘Best Small City’ in an online survey this week, following on from another recent analysis that named it ‘Best College Town To Live In’. Although these online polls shouldn’t be taken too seriously, it’s great to have attention focused on the good things that are happening in Princeton. On the other hand, the survey gave Princeton a terrible score for ‘affordability’, placing 1,144th out of all the cities considered.  Princeton  is increasingly becoming too expensive for average families. The other point that could be controversial is the use of the word ‘city’ to describe Princeton. Some residents hate the idea that Princeton is ‘becoming a small city‘ Is Princeton a city? And does it matter? Continue reading →

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Walkability Answers From Princeton Council Candidate Kelly DiTosto

Posted on October 30, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Kelly DiTosto, who is challenging for a seat on Princeton Council (click to expand).

Kelly DiTosto, who is challenging for a seat on Princeton Council (click to expand).

On November 3, Princeton will elect two Council members. The candidates are incumbent Council Members Heather Howard and Lance Liverman (both Democrats), and challengers Kelly DiTosto and Lynn Lu Irving (Republican party). As in the last two election cycles, we asked the candidates some questions about walkable living in Princeton. Today, we are pleased to publish responses from Kelly DiTosto. Responses from Heather Howard are available here. Lance Liverman’s responses are available here. Lynne Lu Irving’s responsees are here. We are very grateful to them for engaging in this discussion and for running for office! Continue reading →

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Walkability Answers From Princeton Council Candidate Lynn Lu Irving

Posted on October 29, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Lynne Lu Irving, who is challenging for a seat on Princeton Council (click to expand).

Lynn Lu Irving, who is challenging for a seat on Princeton Council (click to expand).

On November 3, Princeton will elect two Council members. The candidates are incumbent Council Members Heather Howard and Lance Liverman (both Democrats), and challengers Kelly DiTosto and Lynn Lu Irving (Republican party). As in the last two election cycles, we asked the candidates some questions about walkable living in Princeton. Today, we are pleased to publish responses from Lynne Lu Irving. Responses from Heather Howard are available here and Lance Liverman’s responses are available here. Tomorrow, we will publish answers from Kelly DiTosto. We are very grateful to them for engaging in this discussion and for running for office! Continue reading →

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Walkability Answers From Council Candidate Lance Liverman

Posted on October 28, 2015 by walkableprinceton
Lance Liveryman

Incumbent Princeton Council member Lance Liveryman (click to expand).

On November 3, Princeton will elect two Council members. The candidates are incumbent Council Members Heather Howard and Lance Liverman (both Democrats), and challengers Kelly DiTosto and Lynn Lu Irving (Republican party). As in the last two election cycles, we asked the candidates some questions about walkable living in Princeton. Today, we are pleased to publish responses from Lance Liverman. Responses from Heather Howard are available here. We’ll be linking to responses from the other candidates as the week goes on. We are very grateful to them for engaging in this discussion and for running for office! Continue reading →

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