To the Editor:

We are at a critical point with the new master plan for Princeton. The town went through numerous surveys and listening sessions over the past 1 ½ years. September 27 was the first public session to “review the big themes of the master plan” and offered a first look at the “community’s’ blueprint for the future.” (engage.princetonmasterplan.org/nj/library/).

As per the town’s website, “the new master plan will enable the community to set policies and priorities to guide its decisions in the coming years, from housing to business to mobility and climate change. It is a document against which proposed changes can be evaluated, to be sure we’re changing in the direction we want to.”

The Land Use Exhibits portion of the master plan, “provides a clearer overall concept of the distribution of land uses.” They have divided the town into various zones —not following the existing zoning districts. There is a “Neighborhood zone of 1-4 dwelling units” (Hodge Road, Institute, Riverside, and Littlebrook areas). Also, there is a “Central Neighborhood” which includes the entire residential center of town (Moore Street, Tree Streets, Shopping Center, Jugtown) that is proposed to allow for 1-4 dwelling units on each lot. These zones and neighborhoods look to include approximately one half of all the lots in Princeton. There is an asterisk which says “planned number of dwelling units per lot/acre to be calibrated during the development of zoning regulations based on compatibility with the existing scale and character of buildings, building setbacks and other relevant factors through the public ordinance process.”

This document proposes an exponential increase in the possible density of our town. If half of the town can have as many as four dwelling units on their lots we could see massive increase in our population once this turns into new zoning regulations. I am a big fan of additional housing, and certainly affordable units, but I think we need to take a deep breath and consider what makes Princeton such a special place. The historic character and scale of our town should be considered along with traffic, schools, and infrastructure.

In addition to the density, the Land Use goals do not mention the town’s historic character. I recommend this be added to the goals, since this is an important quality that defines our town. Add a new goal that we should protect and preserve historic sites and districts by ensuring that new development follows local and national preservation guidelines for new construction. Also, we should adopt preservation design guidelines to improve review of proposed alterations and new construction at historic sites and in historic districts.    

The next two key dates for reviewing the master plan for Princeton are October 19, for a presentation of the plan before the Planning Board (virtual meeting 7-11 p.m.), and November 9, the master plan hearing at Planning Board. (virtual meeting 7-11 p.m.). Please plan to make your voice heard for sensible development!

Catherine M. Knight, AIA
Nassau Street