Following several comments from the public for and against NJ Transit’s proposal to abandon the current Dinky easement, the New Jersey Historic Sites Council voted to approve the measure last Thursday during a meeting in Trenton. The 5-1 vote sends a recommendation to the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection that the transportation agency be permitted to take up sections of the track once the Dinky station is moved 460 feet south, which will make room for Princeton University’s planned $300 million arts complex.

At the beginning of the meeting, Historic Preservation Office administrator Dan Saunders explained to the Council that since the University is a private owner, the Council’s influence is limited concerning the tracks, which are still owned by NJ Transit. Even if the Council did not vote to approve the proposal, the easement would automatically be abandoned five years after the station is moved to its new location.

“They don’t need our permission to move it,” Mr. Saunders said. “It would not require an application. NJ Transit can go ahead and do it. Imagine the DEP compelling someone to continue using some historic building for a particular use. Since 1986, we’ve never done such a thing.”

Princeton University plans to design a new station for the Dinky, which connects commuters to the Princeton Junction stop on the northeast corridor line. The existing building, which is across from McCarter Theatre, would be turned into a restaurant or cafe.

Princeton Borough Mayor Yina Moore was the first to urge the Council to reject the proposal. Citing Smithsonian Magazine’s recent naming of Princeton as the twelfth most desirable small town [out of 20] in America, she said the Dinky line contributes to local quality of life. “Please prevent this abandonment by NJ Transit and vote no,” she said.

Also opposed to the proposal and to relocating the Dinky terminus, Borough Council member Jenny Crumiller said that NJ Transit and Princeton University’s justification for moving the Dinky is “because we can. The heart of the matter is that each time we take the Dinky, we connect with the past,” she added. “It if was a restaurant it would become just another pretty building with a plaque.”

Among those speaking in favor of the proposal were McCarter board president Brian McDonald and Lori Rabon, general manager of the Nassau Inn and a member of the Princeton Merchants Association and the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau. “We anticipate a new restaurant and cafe would allow guests to dine in the neighborhood of McCarter Theatre,” Ms. Rabon said. “No doubt the University will preserve both the architecture and history of the building. Why would we wait five years? Now is the time to move forward.”

Kip Cherry, a member of the citizens’ group, Save the Dinky, and a professional planner, urged the Council to put off the decision until two pending lawsuits by Save the Dinky regarding the University’s move are resolved. “The arts building can go forward,” she said. “We need the five years to allow other operators to take over the Dinky line.”

University student Josh Shulman sided with those opposed to the measure, saying he was one of 100 students who have signed Save the Dinky’s petition. Moving the station would interfere with its historic significance, he said. “We’ve been completely left out of these plans that the University is shoving down our throats.”

University vice president Bob Durkee countered by saying the issue had been discussed extensively with students on campus. Mr. Durkee also said the University’s plans include links between the old station and the new one, with commemorative markers providing information about the Dinky’s history.

Backed by a video of her husband walking to the site of the new station, Borough resident Anne Neumann told the Council that approving NJ Transit’s request “will lead to the death of the Dinky.” Pete Weale of West Windsor also urged the Council to vote against the proposal because removing the track would eliminate the possibility of the train being extended north to Nassau Street. “NJ Transit is doing the bidding for Princeton University,” he said. “The Princeton University campus is all about empire-building.”

Bruce Afran, lawyer for Save the Dinky, said making a decision on moving the tracks would be premature because litigation will take years to resolve and a certified site plan for the planned arts district does not yet exist. Mr. Afran added that the station building “is a pristine structure, not in need of rehabilitation.” Designed by noted railroad architect and engineer Alexander Shand, he said it contains the first high-level train platform built outside of a city in the United States.

Regarding history, Tom Clarke, regional manager of government and community relations for NJ Transit, said, “We get it.” The University’s 1984 purchase of the Dinky station saved the Dinky from going out of service, he said, helping subsidize the train service for the next 20 years instead of letting it lapse. Letting the proposal pass “allows NJ Transit to work with the University to improve multi-modal transit for the Princetons and the region.”