By Donald Gilpin

Seeking to encourage “housing that’s affordable for schoolteachers and other middle-income families,” an assortment of experts and ordinary citizens under the auspices of Princeton Future will gather in the Theron Room of the Princeton Theological Seminary Library at 25 Library Place on Saturday, October 26, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to discuss possibilities.

This particular Princeton Future forum will focus on North Tulane, a small block between Wiggins and Spring streets, and “the question for all of us,” according to Princeton Future cofounder and administrator Sheldon Sturges, is, “What would be the best thing for this community?”

Sturges reflected on the overriding goals of Princeton Future, which is beginning its 25th year in existence, during which time it has conducted many sessions and explored numerous important issues with wide-ranging impact on the town of Princeton.

“The concept of ‘What if?’ is key,” said Sturges. “What if we do this? What if we do that? Taking the ‘What if?’ out into the community for discussion, the ideasbecome better. That’s where we are. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Sturges has assembled a number of experts on real estate, finance, urban planning, construction, and development to present ideas and lead the discussion, and he’s hoping that the municipality will be adding its support, possibly through zoning and land use reform, to whatever promising plans evolve in the effort to build a more inclusive town.

“There are a lot of people in this town who know things,” said Sturges. “We’ve been trying to get people who know things. And the question is, ‘How can we have more inclusionary housing that allows a broader spectrum of people to live here and work here without having to get into their cars to drive here?’”

Several experts who will be in attendance at Saturday’s meeting are also property owners on North Tulane, looking to move forward in developing their real estate and respond to some of Sturges’ overriding questions.

Saturday’s Princeton Future session will open with a presentation on “Defining Affordable Housing and Missing Middle Housing” with TAPinto Princeton Editor Rich Rein and Josh Wilton from Queenston Realty. Rein will present “a story of a teacher and an aspiring resident” and Wilton will review “what’s on the market in those ranges.”

A Q&A session will follow, after which, focusing on North Tulane, “our community’s ‘near downtown,” architect Joshua Zinder will discuss “MIssing Middle Housing in Princeton: Model for Success,” and Rutgers Professor Emeritus of Urban Planning Tony Nelessen will explore “Municipal Investment in the Streetscape — Underground Wiring, Lights, and Trees?”

The third portion of the program will be a case study of 25 Wiggins Street, and 57 and 61 North Tulane, with presenters Nelessen, Chris Myers and Brom Snyder of Pinneo Construction and Helios LLC, Dan Chamby of Helios LLC, and architect Marina Rubina, all taking a look at “What can be built now?” “What could be done?” and “What might be in the future?”

Q&A sessions will continue throughout, and final responses will be delivered by Princeton University Sociology Professor Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, Sam Bunting of Walkable Princeton, Aubrey Haines of Princeton Property Partners, and Carlos Rodrigues of Design Solutions for a Crowded Planet.

\Rein, Zinder, Nelessen, Rubina, Fernandez-Kelly, and Rodrigues are all Princeton Future board members.

Princeton Future invites all Princeton residents to have their say at this workshop and listening session. “We have to do something different in the downtown,” said Sturges. “The important thing here is what the people in the audience have to say.”

Depending on what transpires at Saturday’s session, Princeton Future, Sturges suggests, might follow up with a “call to action” proposal that would include an invitation to the town to consider redoing North Tulane in partnership with the property owners, widening the sidewalks, putting wiring underground planting trees, and increasing stormwater protection.

Princeton Future might also invite the town to speed up timing of the planning, zoning, and permitting procedures for the developers on this street. Sturges also suggests that all North Tulane property owners bring forward possible case studies for presentation to the community at an open meeting on April 5, 2025.

And further into the future, Sturges urges other neighborhoods in the community to ask Princeton Future to hold open meetings about areas that are susceptible to change, where developers and property owners are investing or are considering making investments according to the 2023 Community Master Plan. The possibilities are numerous, from individually-owned properties to Princeton University-owned real estate, to land owned by the municipality, the Princeton Public Schools, and others.