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Vol. LXI, No. 16
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007
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Vol. LXI, No. 16
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007
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Although the Bank of Princeton, a start-up venture launched by several area principals and investors, is set to hold its grand opening the first week of May at its satellite location in Princeton Borough, its planned headquarters, slated for the old Mike's Tavern site on Bayard Lane, appear headed back to the drawing board.
A site plan advisory wing of the Regional Planning Board of Princeton last Wednesday told bank representatives to rethink the proposed 6,700-square-foot, two-level bank, saying that the design, which included a tower and dual carport, was in conflict with the residential nature east and west of the site.
The site has proven to be a difficult one to redevelop so far. Two years ago, when bank chairman Stephen Distler purchased it with the intention of building a jazz club there, the residential backlash doomed the project. This time, while the residential component was not present, planners still had their doubts.
"I'm concerned about the aggressive look of it," said William Wolfe, chairman of the Site Plan Review Advisory Board, adding that the color scheme, red brick combined with white concrete trim, would pose an aesthetic problem.
Board member Anne Neumann agreed, calling the look of the proposed site "cold and commercial."
Traffic at the site is also projected to be a continuing point of contention with bank representatives suggesting restrictions on ingoing and outgoing traffic.
But board member Alyce Bush said the site was more suitable for a bank than a jazz club, adding that the hours of operation would fit in better to the neighborhood plan. Mr. Wolfe worried that more traffic overall would be generated by the bank than by a jazz club.
Mr. Distler is a principal in a restaurant project a block away at the corner of Leigh Avenue and Bayard Lane, the former home of Stefanelli's Automotive. That project, which is still being reviewed by the Township's Zoning Department, would use some of the bank parking for restaurant parking during bank off hours.
Both sites are located in the Township's S-2 zone and require minor variances for approval. While the restaurant site is not yet slated for public review, the bank will go before the Township Zoning Board later this spring.