Princeton Borough Council last week voted to approve a request by AvalonBay, the developer of the University Medical Center at Princeton’s soon-to-be-vacated site, for rezoning. With Jenny Crumiller casting the only dissenting vote, the Council weighed in 5-1 to recommend the proposal to the Planning Board.

Numerous residents of the hospital’s neighborhood were on hand to express their concerns about the rezoning, which would allow AvalonBay to have higher density and fewer affordable housing units in the rental community it is under contract to build on the site. The existing hospital building would be demolished as part of the plan. AvalonBay is set to take over the property after the UMCP moves to its new complex on Route 1 in Plainsboro May 22.

“Adding 44 units arbitrarily, just so the developer can make more money, seems like a breach with the community,” said Ms. Crumiller, who was applauded by residents in the audience. “We are ready for the developer, we want the developer to come in. We should stick to the 280 units. All they have to do is the site plan.”

Leighton Newlin, chairman of the Housing Authority of the Borough of Princeton (HABOP), also criticized the proposal. “We should not allow more units, 280 was what we agreed upon,” he said. “What are we losing? We are losing the opportunity to have low, low income housing so that we can preserve the cultural diversity of our community.”

An online petition opposing the zoning, at change.org, had 92 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon. Residents are concerned that the high density of the AvalonBay plan will change the character of the neighborhood and cause traffic congestion. The developer wants to put in 32 to 40 units per acre. Joe Bardzilowski, who organized the petition, said during the meeting that this density is higher than other AvalonBay rental communities.

Resident Peter Marks argued against giving AvalonBay bonus density, urging the Council to consider affordable single family housing as an alternative to the apartment complex. “This is probably the most valuable [land] in Mercer County,” he said. “Understand, please, that this is not the only alternative on the table.”

If passed by the Planning Board and then given final approval after being returned to Council, the plan would allow greater density without proportionally increasing the number of affordable housing units in the apartment complex. Current zoning allows 280 units, with 20 percent designated as affordable.

But AvalonBay wants to build 324 units, while lowering the percentage of affordable apartments from 20 to 17 percent. This would require rezoning. The Borough usually requires 20 percent affordable units in new complexes. AvalonBay has argued that the development would still have more affordable units than the industry standard of 15 percent.

The developer would build nine units as “workforce” housing, which could rent to households, possibly set aside for Princeton residents, with incomes between about $40,000 and $98,000. These rents would be less than the market rate units, which would range from $1,600 to $3,200 a month. Council members suggested including emergency and fire workers in this group.

Bret Rubin, a representative of AvalonBay, said the company will soon submit a full concept plan, including results of traffic studies and environmental impacts. The five members of Council who voted to recommend the company’s plan said they did so as a way to move the project forward and to consider the additional data AvalonBay submits to the Planning Board.