Princeton Public School students are being encouraged to skip the car line at least one day a week, as part of a new campaign launched by Parent-Teacher Organizations and local allies. ‘Walk & Wheel Wednesdays’ aims to “to encourage students to walk or ride their bike, scooter, etc. or ride the bus to school every Wednesday this Spring.” It will be celebrated for the first time on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
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New Jersey will elect a new governor in November, and potential voters got a chance to get to know the candidates a little better on Sunday at the first Democratic Primary Debate. The debate, which happened at Rider University in Lawrenceville, featured candidates Steve Sweeney, Ras Baraka, Steve Fulop, Mikie Sherrill, and Josh Gottheimer. (See profiles of the candidates here, via northjersey.com: “Who is running for New Jersey governor in 2025?”) The debate covered a wide range of topics, but the issues of housing and transit generated significant discussion, with the candidates resolving to improve affordability and get NJ Transit working better. But when it came to actually providing concrete solutions, it wasn’t always clear that all of the candidates had realistic plans in mind.
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Princeton Council looks set to accept the figure for new affordable housing units set by the state of New Jersey last October (Report: State: Town of Princeton Must Plan For 276 New Affordable Homes To Be Built Over Next Ten Years). This decision will be made official at the Princeton Council meeting on Monday night, January 27, when the governing body will consider Resolution 25-51 “committing to DCA’s Fourth Round Affordable Housing Present Need and Prospective Need Numbers”.
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As others review the year, we at ‘Walkable Princeton’ are looking forward, to a new year, which looks certain to be eventful. There will be a new President, and a fiercely-contested election for NJ Governor, but what will happen in Princeton and the local area? Here are ten predictions for the year ahead…and don’t forget to scroll down for a review of our predictions from last year!!
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“I firmly believe that their arguments will be struck down.” That was the view of State Senator Troy Singleton (D-Burlington), referring to a lawsuit from twenty-six New Jersey towns who are suing to try to put a halt to the state’s affordable housing requirements. Singleton was speaking at an event on November 14 co-hosted by three Princeton-area synagogues, to discuss New Jersey’s affordable housing process for the period of 2025 – 2035. As in previous years, the state is requiring most towns to build affordable homes. The number of homes to be built in each town is calculated based on a formula in a new state law, which was passed earlier this year. Senator Singleton was a lead author on the new legislation, and was able to give insight into how and why it was passed.
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Princeton Council heard a presentation at their meeting on November 12 from consultants hired to study safety improvements to Harrison Street. Harrison St runs almost the entire length of the town from north to south (map), making for a very lengthy and detailed report. A previous report in ‘Town Topics’ discussed the consultants’ concepts for new roundabouts at the intersections of Harrison St with Prospect Ave, Valley Road, Terhune Road and Bunn Drive. The Mayor and several members of Council expressed surprise and trepidation at the scale of the report, which they had not had much time to read. Mayor Freda suggested that there would need to be multiple work sessions to discuss the potential improvements, which would be phased over a period of years. But improvements are likely to start more quickly on the section of Harrison St between Nassau St and Franklin Ave.
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Changes are coming to the Princeton Shopping Center, the outdoor mall at 301 North Harrison Street (map), with a number of new openings for local residents to look forward to. In particular, there seems to be a focus on health and fitness. At the south end of the mall, “Ohm Fitness” is opening near the Chop’t salad bar. They promise to “redefine the workout experience”, bringing results 3x faster than conventional fitness approaches. This will be their second outlet, after an existing branch in Wayne NJ.
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With Thanksgiving over, many Princeton households are probably in the market for a Christmas tree (* other winter festivities are available). If you want to get one locally, the Boy Scouts of Troop 43 are again selling trees and wreaths in the field in front of the Princeton YMCA (map).
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Josh Wilton is one of Princeton’s most successful realtors, a co-owner of ‘Queenston Realty‘ who is also known for his regular podcast, “The Wilton Report“, in which he analyzes the market for property sales and rentals. The show is always packed full of data, and in the latest episode, Wilton shared some eye-popping details about the market for homes in Princeton. In brief, homes in Princeton are increasingly out-of-reach for all but the wealthiest buyers – and Wilton thinks that the town’s historic preservation efforts are contributing to problems with affordability.
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A proposal to reimagine Hinds Plaza, the public square next to Princeton Public Library, got a cool response at the meeting of Princeton Council on October 28. Princeton engineer Deanna Stockton claimed that the redesign was needed, because the plaza is 20 years old and needs to be refreshed. The town of Princeton hired consultants from Arterial LLC to consult with the public and come up with ideas for improvements. But the concept plan did not seem to find much enthusiasm from Princeton Council members or other members of the public.
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