Princeton Council passed a resolution Monday night that will enable residents of the 60 affordable housing units at the Washington Oaks community to obtain low-interest loans that would help pay for replacement of emergency fire sprinkler heads. Washington Oaks is located on Route 206, opposite the Jasna Polana golf club.

The municipality has previously made these types of loans available at Griggs Farm and other locations with affordable housing units. The fire sprinkler heads, which are sealed with wax, have to be replaced because it is time for them to be tested, and testing makes them unusable.

“The problem you have with these sprinkler heads is that once they’re tested, they’re no longer any good,” said Council president Lance Liverman at a press event earlier in the day. “So you have to throw them out.”

The sprinkler heads must be tested every 20 years. The cost for the testing and replacement of the sprinkler heads can range from about $1,300 to $4,600. Those who elect to take out a loan would have 10 years to repay the town. Money for the loans would come out of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund paid into by real estate developers.

The program might not be necessary if it turns out that residents can afford the work, and it could be that not every eligible resident would apply for the loan. “But we want to make it available in case some of the members can’t do it,” Mr. Liverman said. The town’s municipal housing coordinator, Christy Peacock, would be in charge of the program.

There are 300 residences in Washington Oaks, 20 percent of which are categorized as below market rate, or affordable. These include condominiums, townhouses, and single family homes. The affordable units are in the section called The Oaks, which has condominium units.

The resolution was recommended to Council by the Princeton Housing Board, which voted unanimously in favor of it at their July 12 meeting. A meeting to discuss the matter with residents could take place sometime in August.