How can Princeton residents give input on planning issues? (Click to expand.)
‘Advisory Planning Districts’ have been suggested as a new way for Princeton neighborhood residents to provide input on planning matters. Tonight, based on their interim report, an ‘Advisory Planning Districts Task Force’ looks set to recommend against setting up new committees, but has a bunch of positive ideas about how to make planning in Princeton more transparent. Continue reading
The Dinky train departing Princeton Station. (click to expand.)
Princeton’s “Save The Dinky” group, who have been waging a legal campaign to reverse the relocation of the Princeton rail station, have suffered another court setback. Continue reading
A home for sale in Princeton. But is New Jersey doing enough to make it possible for people to access suitable housing markets? (click to expand.)
New Jersey’s Star-Ledger news group is hosting a series called ‘Improving New Jersey’ in collaboration with Together North Jersey, and the first topic under consideration is the housing crisis in New Jersey. As we know, New Jersey is the second-worst state in the nation for housing cost. The cost of housing sucks money out of the local economy, and places many households in a precarious situation with regard to just paying the rent or mortgage payment. What are the causes of this crisis, and how can we resolve it? Continue reading
Outdoor seating area under construction at Teresa Cafe, Palmer Square, Princeton. (Click to expand.)
Teresa Cafe, in Palmer Square in downtown Princeton, is constructing a new outdoor patio seating area. The new dining space is expected to open some time in July. Continue reading
Stickers on reverse of ‘Stop’ sign at Witherspoon and Hulfish Street, Princeton. June 28, 2014. (click to expand.)
For better or worse, in an urban environment, we are surrounded by graffiti, or ‘street art’ as it is known by aficionados. Many cities are known for it, but it’s not something we usually associate with Princeton is not one of them! After watching ‘Exit Through The Gift Shop‘, however, the work of street artists, which in many cases went unobserved before, stands out. Take this ‘Stop’ sign at the intersection of Hulfish Street and Witherspoon Street in downtown Princeton. ‘Sticker bombing‘ is a sub-genre of street art (also known as vandalism and almost certainly unlawful). But are any of these stickers intended as art? Let’s take a closer look at some of the individual stickers: Continue reading
Part of Princeton University’s ‘Lakeside‘ project at Faculty and Elm Road. It will include new graduate housing but will it be enough? (click to expand.)
Princeton University’s Graduate Student Council (GSG) have released an official statement calling on University authorities to step up the provision of housing for post-graduate students. The statement, which was approved May 14, argues that every graduate student affiliated with the University should have the right to choose to live close to campus. Continue reading
Photograph of the approved proposal for redevelopment at the 255 Nassau Street site, as presented to Princeton Planning Board June 5. (click to expand).
The Princeton Planning Board voted last night to approve a mixed-use redevelopment at 255 Nassau Street, in Princeton’s East Nassau Street neighborhood. Continue reading
Current planned routes for Bergen County BRT (via www.bergenbrt.com)
An updated scheme for what is being called ‘Bus Rapid Transit’ has been put forward for Bergen County, NJ. The plan, developed by engineering and design firm Parsons Brinckerhoff in association with NJ Transit and local agencies, envisages five routes in the area of Hackensack/Rutherford/NJ-Route 17 (see map above). Continue reading
Downtown Princeton- an example of an in-demand walkable place. But is the downtown set up to best facilitate walkers?
New Jersey may be known as one of American’s original suburbs- but in recent years, walkable urban places have eclipsed car-dependent suburbia for many potential homeowners. Although sites like ‘NJ Future‘ and ‘Walkable Princeton’ have focused on the benefits of compact walkable living, the idea hasn’t quite gone mainstream in the Garden State. Last weekend, New Jersey’s Star-Ledger group- which runs the ‘Trenton Times’ and NJ.com website- published two articles that indicate how walkable urbanism is increasingly becoming the ‘new normal’. Continue reading
Existing conditions at the ‘Ellsworth II site’ in West Winsdor, seen here from Google Maps. The site could be set for redevelopment with a mixture of uses according to a new plan. (click to expand.)
West Windsor seems to be on an apartment surge, with plans for a mixed-use neighborhood off Bear Brook Road, and the recent approval of a mixed-use redevelopment of the ‘Ellsworth Center’ at Cranbury and Route 571 (Princeton-Highstown Road). The Ellsworth Center looks set to be the site of not one, but two mixed-used redevelopments, as a new plan has been put forward to redevelop the ‘Ellsworth II’ parcel at the back of the site! The site plans are below…
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