Porous pavement at parking lot at Mercer Museum, Doylestown, PA (click to expand)
Here’s something interesting spotted on a recent visit to Doylestown, PA: it’s a parking lot with porous pavement. As seen in the photo above, the area where cars are parked is made up of a type of asphalt that allows water to flow through. Continue reading
Aurelio’s, at 44 Leigh Avenue in Princeton. (click to expand)
If you’re wondering what happened to the old Cafe 44 space, after the popular bruncherie moved across the street to 41 Leigh Avenue in December, here’s your answer. The space has been renovated and reopened as Aurelio’s Cocina Latina. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Aurelio’s is the latest great addition to Princeton’s eating-out scene, and it’s right in the heart of the ultra-walkable Witherspoon-John neighborhood. Continue reading
Princeton has axed a planned bike lane on Hamilton Ave (click to expand, image credit: brittgow on Flickr)
Despite promising to add a bike lane on the north side Hamilton Avenue earlier this year, Princeton Council last night waved through a plan to re-stripe the road with no bike lanes at all. The switcheroo was discussed in the ‘reports’ section of the regular meeting, and therefore was not even listed on the official agenda. This is the second ‘Complete Streets’ project that has been axed by the town in the last three weeks. But the news may not be all bad, as municipal engineer Deanna Stockton announced that the town’s application for an NJDOT grant has been successful. The grant, through the ‘Local Technical Assistance Program’, will allow the town to engage a consulting firm to work with the community to devise a holistic bicycle circulation plan. This plan is intended to guide future engineering projects, to make streets as safe as possible for all users. Continue reading
View across Lake Manalapan from Thompson Park in Monroe Township, NJ. (click to expand).
Monroe Township, a town 12 miles east of Princeton, won a legal victory today, as a judge granted temporary protection from developer lawsuits. Earlier this year, the NJ Supreme Court made a ruling that would potentially allow developers to ignore local zoning and build affordable housing in towns throughout the state. But the court also gave towns the option of filing for a 5-month delay, and most towns have now done so. At the end of that period, they will have to prove that their housing plans meet the requirement of the State Constitution to provide a ‘Fair Share’ of affordable housing. If not, a judge may give developers the right to build that affordable housing under a so-called “builder’s remedy”. Continue reading
This parking lot on Franklin Avenue is the subject of a potential plan to build new affordable housing in Princeton (click to expand.)
Last month, a Princeton Council task force published a report naming 13 suitable sites for new affordable housing. One of the proposed sites was a parking lot on Franklin Avenue, that is set to be donated to the town by Princeton University. But last week, members of a new group appeared before Council, asking for the site to be turned into a park instead. Continue reading
Downtown Princeton, as seen from inside a NJ Transit bus. (click to expand.)
The recent announcement from NJ Transit that the Princeton-Plainsboro ‘HealthLine’ bus will be canceled has drawn local condemnation, and also some questions. How bad was the ridership for NJ Transit to cancel the service? Using recent ridership statistics from NJ Transit, we can compare the HealthLine bus to other bus and rail services connecting Princeton to the surrounding area… Continue reading
Statistics on traffic speed on Valley Road show that just 27% of drivers are operating at or within 5 mph of the posted speed limit. (click to expand).
3 out of every 4 drivers on Valley Road in Princeton speeds. That’s the shocking result of a traffic study commissioned by the Princeton Engineering Department, which was released as part of a recent community meeting. Continue reading
Red dashed lines were painted by town staff on Prospect Avenue to indicate proposed new traffic calming measures. But following neighborhood opposition, they will no longer be built. (click to expand).
Following a meeting with neighbors, Princeton municipal officials have indicated that a proposal to add traffic calming measures on Prospect Avenue will no longer go ahead. Continue reading
A trail on a pipeline right-of-way next to the D&R canal by Princeton. (click to expand)
Gas pipelines are big news in New Jersey right now, around Princeton, and in surounding communities. Apparently stimulated by a glut of fracked gas from western Pennsylvania, various companies are rushing to find new ways to bring their product to market. That means lots and lots of new pipelines in New Jersey, which is arousing the ire of local residents on all sides of the political spectrum. Despite this opposition, these pipelines are getting their permits and are getting built. In the last few weeks, for example, several miles of new pipeline has been laid in northern Princeton, the so-called ‘Skillman Loop‘. On the principle of “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, we should seize the opportunity to create new walking and biking trails on these new pipeline routes, to get the greatest value possible out of this process for local residents. Continue reading
Engine Company No. 1 building on Chestnut Street – one of the sites that has been identified as suitable for conversion to affordable housing in a report out today (Click to expand.)
Disused firehouses, the old PFARS station, and several parking lots are among the sites identified as suitable for new affordable housing in Princeton, according to a report from a task force chaired by Council President Bernie Miller. The task force was set up to catalog ‘publicly-owned’ sites in Princeton, and to evaluate which would be most suitable for affordable dwellings. By the time of their interim report in March, they had reduced the list to 44 potential sites. The final report, published today, narrows that list to thirteen sites. Council must now decide how to proceed with redeveloping them.
