By Anne Levin

At its meeting on Monday, September 9, Princeton Council voted unanimously to introduce two ordinances designed to start the process of acquiring the former Westminster Choir College property.

“This evening the Mayor and Council voted unanimously to introduce two ordinances which begin the process for the Municipality to acquire 101 Walnut Lane, former site of the historic Westminster Choir College,” reads a statement issued by Council President Mia Sacks on Tuesday morning. “The public hearing for Ordinance #2024-35 will be held on September 23 and the public hearing for Ordinance #2024-34 will be held on October 14.

“Acquisition of this property would represent a generational investment — enabling Princeton to more effectively plan for its long-term future — including but not limited to the provision of much-needed educational and recreational facilities for the community and school district, and other public needs.

“If adopted, Ordinances #2024-34 and #2024-35 will enable the legal process for acquisition to proceed. The governing body is committed to working with all interested community stakeholders to determine the best public purposes for this centrally-located site. This is an exciting moment for Princeton and one the governing body believes will result in countless public benefits to be enjoyed for decades to come.”

Occupying some 23 acres of prime Princeton real estate, the renowned choral college merged with Rider University in 1992, but retained its own identity. In 2017, Rider announced plans to sell Westminster and relocate its programs to Rider’s campus in Lawrence Township. A sale did not materialize. What remains of the choir college operates on the Rider campus. The Princeton campus is mostly empty, though the Westminster Conservatory, a community music school, has continued to function at the site.

The choir college is the focus of two lawsuits. One, against Rider, was brought by a group of former Westminster students and faculty members. Another filed by Princeton Theological Seminary says a sale would violate the terms of the original donation of the property in 1935. Since the plans for a sale were first announced in 2017, a group of alumni, students, and supporters known as the Westminster Foundation has worked to return Westminster to its Princeton location.

In an email to the Westminster community Monday night, the Foundation’s president Constance Fee wrote, “It is possible that Rider has made an offer to the town and, in such case it may attempt to sign contract papers with the township. The New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division last year restored our case and we have now set a discovery schedule with the trial court. Any transaction between Rider and the township will be subject to Rider prevailing in our lawsuit, so it is highly unlikely that any closing on any deal will take place in the near term. In fact, our lawsuit would likely not even go to trial until late 2025.”

In an email on Tuesday morning, Fee said, “The historical significance of Westminster Choir College and its campus, and its impact on the cultural life of the Princeton community for over a century is profound. We have reached out numerous times and made repeated attempts to meet with Rider and the Seminary to reach a settlement, but without success and in some cases without acknowledgement. We have made it clear to all parties involved that we want to collaborate. Until that happens, we are not going anywhere, our lawsuit remains in place, and nothing will change until it is resolved.”