To the Editor:

I attended Planning Board meetings on March 21 and the Council Meeting on March 25. The experience brought me back to high school English and a variation on the words of George Orwell, in Animal Farm  — “All Princeton neighborhoods are equal — it’s just that some Princeton neighborhoods are more equal than others.”

The discussions centered around changes to two land use ordinances. In one, Ordinance #2019-2 — Eliminating Proportional Increase in Floor Area Ratio on Undersized Lots, the density would be consistent with adjacent parcels. The other, Ordinance #2019-10 — An Ordinance to Create an AH-3 Affordable Housing 3 Residential Zone, would permit density more than 25 times that of its neighbors. One proposed to reduce the permitted floor area ratio, the second would allow the maximum floor area to be double that permitted on neighboring properties.  One would reduce the area covered by impervious materials, the other would permit the area of impervious surfaces to double. One would reduce the allowable building mass, the second would allow building height to increase by 50 percent. The discussion of one ordinance focused upon concern about changes to the character of neighborhoods caused by new development while the neighborhood adversely impacted by the latter was never mentioned.

Ordinance #2019-10 to create an “AH-3 Affordable Housing 3 Residential Zone” would authorize the construction of 65 housing units on a three- acre lot, adjacent to houses built to a ¾ unit per acre density. It would also allow four-story, 45’ high multi-family apartment buildings to be erected next to two-story attached single-family homes.

On March 21, the Princeton Planning Board met and held a Master Plan consistency review hearing about Ordinance 2019-10, which would create a new zone on the corner of Mt. Lucas Road and Herrontown Road – the AH-3 (Affordable Housing) Zone. The stated primary goals of the Princeton Master Plan, which was re-examined in 2017, include:

Ensuring a proper balance between new residential developments, non-residential development and affordable housing and preservation of open space.
Maintaining the character of neighborhoods.
Ensuring that redevelopment is compatible with existing development.

I am not against affordable housing in my neighborhood. If the density proposed was reasonable, like that of Griggs Farm, Princeton Community Village, or the former Stanworth Property, it would still have an impact upon our neighborhood, but it would be acceptable.

The Fair Share Housing Plan calls for the development of affordable housing on Sycamore Road east of South Harrison Street and off Terhune Road. These plans call for densities of 10–12 units per acre but I’m sure 22 units per acre would fit just fine, and then they would match what Mayor and Council are proposing in my neighborhood. But maybe not. After all, “All neighborhoods in Princeton are equal, it’s just that some neighborhoods are more equal than others.”

Joseph A. McLaughlin
President
Old Orchard Village Homeowners Association