To the Editor:

As mayor and Council president, we would like to respond to community concerns about the court-mandated process for determining Princeton’s affordable housing sites. We share the dissatisfaction of those who question why Council hasn’t been drafting its preliminary plan in open session. We have been cautious for two reasons: Since this is considered litigation, it is only discussed in closed session, and, in choosing sites, negotiations with owners of private property are sometimes required. It is in the taxpayer’s interest to conduct real estate negotiations privately and to enable our attorneys to provide their advice freely and in a confidential setting.

Given these constraints, we, along with our Council colleagues, are trying our best to communicate as fully as possible without compromising the municipality’s interests. We all want our seniors to be able to afford to grow old in our community, our children to afford to move back as adults, and our families who have lived here for generations to continue to do so. Princeton has a long-established practice of building affordable housing to help address these goals. Affordable units provide a reliable source of housing for low-, moderate-, and very low-income families and individuals and add to the diversity of housing options.

Long before New Jersey’s legally mandated affordable housing requirements even existed, both the former Borough and former Township constructed a significant number of affordable homes beginning in 1938. These include Franklin and Maple Terrace, Clay Street Hageman Homes, Spruce Circle, Princeton Community Village, and Redding Circle. After 1985, when the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) established affordable housing requirements for New Jersey, Princeton saw the construction of two dozen affordable housing developments of various sizes in the former Borough and Township, including Elm Court and Griggs Farm, among others.

Since 1999, when COAH’s last set of valid affordable housing rules expired, Princeton continued honoring its commitment to affordable housing and has constructed more than 200 additional units. Most recently, we’ve seen the construction of 12 affordable units at Copperwood, 56 units at AvalonBay, 56 units at Princeton University’s Merwick-Stanworth, and four at Carnevale Plaza on Nassau Street. We’ve also opened three group homes for disabled adults.

In March, the court determined that Princeton has incurred an affordable housing obligation of 753 housing units to cover the period from 1999 to 2025, with many of the units built since 1999 counting toward that total. The next step in the litigation is to have our housing plan approved by the court. We are scheduled for a hearing in late July.

The Council and Planning Board will hold a joint public meeting on May 17, when we intend to present the proposed sites to the public and invite community feedback. In the meantime, we have posted an updated FAQ on affordable housing on the municipal website, princetonnj.gov.

Liz Lempert, Mayor

Jenny Crumiller, Council President