Princeton Community Housing Board Leaders Support Goal of Master Plan
To the Editor:
As leaders of Princeton Community Housing (PCH), a nonprofit organization developing and managing welcoming affordable rental homes in Princeton since 1967, we recognize that advocacy is an important part of our mission.
We have a housing crisis in this country. New Jersey alone needs 214,000 more affordable homes for extremely low-income households, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. There is also a dire need for more affordable homes in Princeton, as evidenced in part by the over 1,000 households on PCH’s combined waiting lists. Many of these households are young families starting out, people already working in town, and longtime residents who want to remain in their community. For these reasons, we support the goal of Princeton’s Master Plan to ensure that “Princeton will be a vibrant, growing, and welcoming community with a diverse mix of land uses that accommodate a broad variety of needs, housing ample and diverse enough to accommodate all who want to live here….”
Princeton citizens are proud to live in a diverse community with housing stock that is available to people of all income levels. This diversity did not happen by accident. Grassroots citizen efforts are the foundation of all the affordable housing organizations in town, including PCH, Housing Initiatives of Princeton, and the Princeton Housing Authority. Our local government has been supportive of these unique groups, and the town is balancing an interest in providing a range of housing opportunities while having the goal of maintaining the character of the neighborhoods that make Princeton a unique and desirable place to live. These are difficult issues to tackle, but we believe the Master Plan embraces this challenge and provides tools to address this balance.
The zoning changes envisioned in the Master Plan, particularly the gentle infill concept, will help facilitate a range of housing opportunities for lower- and middle-income populations in the neighborhoods, such as around the central district of town and the shopping center area, where transportation and other key services are within walking distance. We at PCH look forward to continuing to work with the community and with the tools in the Master Plan to provide additional, much-needed housing opportunities, encourage more socioeconomic diversity, and sustain the neighborhood fabric that is unique to Princeton.