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”.
Continue reading
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!!
Continue reading
“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.
Continue reading
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.
Continue reading
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.
Continue reading
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).
Continue reading
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.
Continue reading
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.
A panel of experts will meet on Wednesday evening (full details here) to discuss New Jersey’s latest round of state-mandated affordable housing construction. The discussion comes just weeks after the announcement, first reported at Walkable Princeton, that the town of Princeton would be required to provide 276 new affordable homes over the next 10 years (Report: State: Town of Princeton Must Plan For 276 New Affordable Homes To Be Built Over Next Ten Years). A number of new housing developments have been constructed in Princeton in recent years. In many cases, these developments are to help the town meet state fair housing requirements. But there is still a lot of confusion and misinformation about why and how these new housing developments are built.
Continue reading
A report released on Friday by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs has set preliminary affordable housing targets for every town in the state for 2025 – 2035. (Link: “2025 to 2035 Affordable Housing Calculations” via nj.gov). The figures were calculated as part of the “Fourth Round” of New Jersey’s fair housing laws, which are called the “Mt Laurel” laws. Locally, the town of Princeton has been given an obligation of 276 units. These new affordable homes must be completed by the year 2035.
Continue reading
walkableprinceton 