By Anne Levin

Following a May 25 work session on the details of an improvement project for Witherspoon Street between Nassau Street and Paul Robeson Place, Princeton Council gave the go-ahead for municipal staff to try and come up with a final design. A major motivation is $600,000 in state funding, which must be applied for, with a plan in place, by August 3.

There was considerable discussion among members of Council, members of the public, and local business owners on different aspects of the plan. Acting Municipal Administrator Bob Bruschi and Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton said they will work on a final proposal and come back to Council within two weeks at a meeting, during which comments by the public can still be made and considered.

“Pushing us is a schedule we have to adhere to, to get to the finish line,” said Bruschi. “In the next few months, we hope to award a contract, but there are a lot of hoops we have to jump through to get the state funding we’ve looked to get, and get our project lined up to begin it later this year or next year.”

While it was decided earlier to keep the roadway one way going north, as it has been during the pandemic, there were some from the public who expressed hope that it could be closed to vehicular traffic. As it stands, the one-way design will be maintained, with the ability built in to close it to vehicles for certain events.

Business owners from Hamilton Jewelers, Labyrinth Books, Small World Coffee, and Jammin’ Crepes spoke against the redesign, saying traffic jams and parking issues caused by the one-way design have caused a drop in business. They urged Council to reconsider the plan after the town returns to normal, post-pandemic operations.

“The overwhelming feedback this year has been that even during a pandemic, Princeton is now harder to get to that it was before COVID,” said Jessica Durrie, owner of Small World Coffee, in an email read aloud at the meeting. “Why not see what happens so we can all be better informed with our decisions?”

One local resident commented that he doesn’t understand why people have parking issues in Princeton, since downtown parking garages are rarely full. That brought up the issue of wayfinding, which would help direct visitors to the garages. Some Council members stressed that wayfinding continues to be part of the plan.

Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros said she has talked to all of the business and property owners on Witherspoon Street. “Honestly, I don’t think we’re far apart,” she said. “Everyone wants dining on the street and a lot of green infrastructure. Now that we’ve started taking away curbside pickup, they’re all saying they want to keep the dining out there. I really feel we’re there, we just need to tweak the details.”

Councilman David Cohen said his top priority is maximizing pedestrian space, with the cartway minimized as much as possible. “There will be some pain as we adjust to new traffic patterns, but in a year or two they will be forgotten and the wonderfulness of the new design will be treasured every day by members of the community. It’s important not to be timid about making the best decisions for the design of the street.”

Councilwoman Mia Sacks said many people have told her they were upset that the street will not be pedestrian-only, and don’t want the option to return it to two-way from one-way in the future. Mayor Mark Freda said he has heard the opposite. “The vast majority who have talked to me are very much in favor of keeping the two-way option,” he said.

Accommodating emergency services and deliveries are major considerations and affect the decision on the width of the street. The increasing popularity of biking should also be taken into account when coming up with a design, several people commented.

Bruschi said parking, loading zones, parking, stormwater management, and green infrastructure will all be taken into account. “Once we incorporate all of these things, we will have other issues like wayfinding, types of parking, and other things,” he said. “Those are decisions we can make over the next few months.”