To the Editor:

Over the past dozen years, this paper has published numerous letters from Princeton residents bemoaning the building of “McMansions” in this community. Typically, the Zoning Board kept out of the fray asserting that, as long as the houses meet the zoning requirements, there’s nothing it can do.

Unfortunately, the Zoning Department uses an overly lax standard for determining the size of a house which allows hundreds of square feet to be excluded. This has allowed the construction of houses significantly larger than permitted by the Zoning Ordinance.

At its monthly meeting on April 22, 2015, the Princeton Zoning Board of Adjustment will be considering how the Zoning Ordinance should be interpreted. I shall be urging the Board to abide by the intent of the Zoning Ordinance and to ensure that an accurate measure of the size of a structure be used.

If any readers are concerned about overbuilding in Princeton, I encourage them to attend this meeting and to voice their opinion. (So far, I only have a verbal commitment from the Zoning Department that this matter will be considered at the April meeting. Please check the agenda for this meeting prior to attending.)

Charles Karney

Prospect Avenue