Proposed Redesign of Hinds Plaza Draws Skeptical Response From Princeton Council

Posted on November 24, 2024 by walkableprinceton
Rendering of proposed redesign for Hinds Plaza in Princeton.

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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Expert Panel To Discuss Affordable Housing in Princeton on Wednesday Night

Posted on November 12, 2024 by walkableprinceton
Advertisement for affordable homes available at Princeton Shopping Center

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.

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State: Town of Princeton Must Plan For 276 New Affordable Homes To Be Built Over Next Ten Years

Posted on October 20, 2024 by walkableprinceton
Affordable housing constructed on Mt Lucas Road in Princeton to meet state fair housing obligations.

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.

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

Princeton, NJ Apartment Rents Increasing Less Than Home Prices in 2024

Posted on September 30, 2024 by walkableprinceton
This 3-bed, 2-ba home on Tee-Ar Place in Princeton was listed for rent at $4,200 / month in August 2024

New Jersey house prices are continuing a years-long boom that has made buying a home unaffordable for many. Home prices in Mercer County went up 14.6% in just one year between July 2023 and July 2024. How is that affecting the rents being asked for homes and apartments in Princeton? We took a look at the options, updating our survey from the last time we looked in September 2023.

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Sakrid Coffee Roasters Has Closed At 300 Witherspoon Street

Posted on September 27, 2024 by walkableprinceton
The old Sakrid Coffee site at 300 Witherpsoon Street has gone dark.

The new Sakrid Coffee Roasters outlet at 300 Witherspoon Street closed this month after less than 18 months in business. Parents dropping off at Community Park School, or clients at TigerLabs, will now have to look elsewhere for their joe, and people are asking, why can’t we have nice things in Princeton? .

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Posted in Downtown Vibrancy, Princeton, Zoning | Tagged | 3 Comments

Princeton Planning Department Has “Major Concerns” About Proposed Parking Lot at Community Park School

Posted on September 26, 2024 by walkableprinceton
This area at Community Park School would become a parking lot under the School Board’s proposed capital plan.

Princeton School Board’s proposal for $85 million of improvents at three local schools received a very mixed reception from the Princeton Planning Board at their ‘courtesy review’ last week. As reported previously (First Look: Preliminary Site Plans for Additions And Expanded Parking at Three Princeton Public Schools), the School Board is proposing a bond referendum for next year, which would give local voters the chance to approve additions at Community Park Elementary School, Littlebrook Elementary School, and Princeton Middle School. The School District Superintendent, Kathie Foster, spoke about how excited she was about the proposals, which apparently have been under development since 2019. But it quickly became clear that several aspects of the plans need further consideration.

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Posted in Princeton, Sustainability, The Parking Question | Tagged , | 1 Comment

In Pictures: Concept Plan For $6.5 Million Nassau Street Sidewalk Redesign

Posted on September 12, 2024 by walkableprinceton
Proposed changes to Nassau St. Rendering by Arterial Street Design. Labels in red by Walkable Princeton.

On Monday, September 9, Princeton Council held a lengthy discussion about the future of Nassau Street. Consultants from ‘Arterial Street Design’ presented their concept plan about a proposed redesign of the sidewalks on Nassau Street. The project area focuses on the north side of the street between Chambers St and Moore St (map). This is very much Princeton’s “Main Street”, and includes the area next to Palmer Square, and in front of the famous Nassau Hall of Princeton University.

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Posted in Beautiful Walkable Princeton, Complete Streets, Downtown Vibrancy, Placemaking, planning, Princeton, Walking | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

First Look: Preliminary Site Plans for Additions And Expanded Parking at Three Princeton Public Schools

Posted on August 13, 2024 by walkableprinceton
Part of site plan for additions at Community Park Elementary School

The Princeton Public School District is currently preparing plans for a school bond referendum, which will be voted on by Princeton residents either later this year or in early 2025 (for details, see this ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ from Princeton School District). The proposed school bond would fund significant improvements at three local schools, specifically, Community Park Elementary, Littlebrook Elementary, and the Princeton Middle School. If approved, the School Board would be able to build new classrooms at each school. Concepts have been under development by the School Board’s “Long-Term Planning Committee” since the spring, and preliminary plans have now been been submitted to the Princeton Planning Board for comments.

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A Few Pics From Inside The Newly-Opened “Graduate Hotel” in Princeton

Posted on August 5, 2024 by walkableprinceton

The “Graduate Hotel” is finally open. As reported last night at “Tap Into Princeton“, the long-anticipated new hotel quietly opened on Thursday, August 1. The Graduate Hotel is located at an ultra-walkable location in downtown Princeton (10 Chambers Street, map), across the street from Princeton University campus and one block away from Palmer Square.

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Princeton ‘Critical Mass Bike Ride’ Launching This Friday, July 26

Posted on July 23, 2024 by walkableprinceton
Cyclists on a group ride in Princeton in September 2022

A new group bike ride is happening in Princeton, starting this coming Friday, July 26. The ‘Princeton Critical Mass’ ride is part of a global movement of similar rides that have happened in dozens of cities, where people ride bikes together for fun and for safety. They usually do not have a designated leader, and the intention is that riders will have ‘safety in numbers’ by riding as a group.

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