By Anne Levin

After hearing testimony from several residents at a meeting on Monday night, February 25, Princeton Council decided to postpone a vote on an ordinance that would eliminate Floor Area Ratio (FAR) bonuses allowing for larger buildings on undersized lots.

FAR is the total area of a building divided by the area of the lot it occupies, expressed as a percentage.

The ordinance was first introduced in 2015, but did not pass. Mayor Liz Lempert said it has been repeatedly requested by the town’s zoning department.

“It is an attempt to slow down and de-incentivize tear-downs on substandard lots, and hopefully take away a little of that phenomenon that’s taking over town,” said Zoning Officer Derek Bridger. “We feel this would give the Zoning Board the tool to deal with the number of substandard lots we see as variances. This formula sets the size of a house on a non-conforming lot. So we think it will help reduce some of the tear-downs that are taking place.”

Residents of Wheatsheaf Lane, Leigh Avenue, and other streets that do not conform to the current zoning laws were among the many who voiced worries about the “unintended consequences” the measure could bring. In order to add onto their houses, they would have to obtain variances that could be costly and time-consuming, they said.

Architect Joshua Zinder called the ordinance “discriminatory against the smallest properties” and urged Council to take a step back before voting it through. Architect Marina Rubina, who wrote an extensive opinion opposing the ordinance on Planet Princeton last week, also spoke against it at the meeting.

Councilman David Cohen spoke in favor of the ordinance. “Not all growth is smart growth,” he said. “While I agree we want more density in the center of town where things are walkable, to advance our sustainability agenda, the kind of density we want is greater density of dwelling units, not of square footage built. This ordinance we are changing has no impact on the number of dwelling units that can be built.”

The second part of Council’s recent Neighborhood Character Initiative is intended to address those needs. “So I urge people concerned about smart growth, the missing middle, to save your ammunition and not try to shoot down this ordinance, which really has no impact on the things you’re concerned about,” Cohen said, “and instead, help us get past rule changes that will really incentivize those kinds of dwelling units.”

Councilman Tim Quinn said he sees the ordinance as “a way to preserve neighborhoods and allow what’s left of the middle class to stay here while we work on the missing middle piece of our Neighborhood Character Initiative. I’ve never been one who thinks Princeton should be encased in amber to prevent change. I know we are growing and I trust we will continue to do so in a smart way, but also one that doesn’t force out people who have been here awhile.”

Council members Leticia Fraga, Dwaine Williamson, and Eve Niedergang had several questions about the ordinance. Lempert said the discussion will be carried over to the March 25 meeting, and that input from residents is welcome as more data is collected.