Hoping Developer Comes Back with a Better Plan for Nassau Street Project
To the Editor:
After two days of a special meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), the HPC on May 14 recommended to the Planning Board against the developer’s application for major site development at 344 Nassau Street and denied the application for demolition of the rear of the Hornor House, a cornerstone building of the Jugtown Historic District and recently recognized by Preservation NJ as one of the 10 most threatened historic buildings in New Jersey.
The HPC correctly decided based on the historic preservation ordinance and the affordable housing overlay ordinance. At the HPC meeting, members of the Princeton community expressed strong support for the Save Jugtown Coalition’s opposition to this development.
The case against this application was crystal clear. This project was the wrong one for the site. The application failed to meet the requirements of historic site development. The result would have increased the floor area by five times, have been 45 feet high instead of 29 feet, and would have demolished the back of the Hornor House, whereas the AHO-2 ordinance explicitly requires its retention. The addition would have overwhelmed the existing Hornor House, instead of being subordinate to it, as is required under historic preservation standards.
The building setbacks proposed for the addition were inadequate and a threat to pedestrian safety. This application was just a bad project that failed the test. Save Jugtown Coalition hopes the developer will come back with a better project. We said this to the developer a year ago, when we asked for an addition in a scale and design that respected the Hornor House and complied with the historic preservation ordinance. This debacle did not need to be dragged on for over a year. An application must fit the site and the rules for historic preservation and for the AHO-2. Fortunately, the HPC agreed.