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Vol. LXI, No. 20
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Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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Vol. LXI, No. 20
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Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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A landmark decision may be on the horizon for a modest neighborhood in Princeton Township next week when a municipal board further considers an outside firm's recommendation that a 1950s-era development be designated historic, potentially placing a variety of building limitations on those houses.
The development, a cluster of 34 houses developed along Deer Path and Clover Lane between 1954 and 1955, was first publicly identified as a potential historic district by the HPC in 2005, when commissioners began responding to a groundswell of concern stemming from a tear-down, and subsequent worries that any new homes would be built in a form departing from the neighborhood style.
And while there existed what is effectively a 50-50 split in neighbors either for or against the proposal, residents there have been relatively quiet in recent months, even after a $5,000 study conducted by the Metuchen-based Arch2, Inc. determined that neighborhood's primary structural characteristics — one-story rectangular ranches; horizontal siding; low-pitched gable, butterfly, or flat roofs; carports; window placement; as well as landscaped lots set back from the street — merited historic status.
In 1954, architects Herbert Kendall and David Savage began developing the 34-house site with various restrictions, including building houses no taller than one-and-a-half stories, and building no closer than 10 feet to any lot line. The property had originally been part of the Princeton Preparatory School campus, which declared bankruptcy in the 1930s.
In preparation for next Wednesday's Township Hall presentation, hosted by the Township's Historic Preservation Commission, and Nancy Zerbe, an architectural historian who served as the study's principal investigator, Commission members said Monday that there will likely be a PowerPoint presentation offered, as well as public comment. If the Commission signs off on the proposal, a vote then goes to Township Committee, which will ultimately make the final determination.
Commission members, while not endorsing Ms. Zerbe's findings, appeared satisfied with the study. One of those members, Elric Endersby, said he was "very impressed" with the work Arch2 produced, and noted that the firm would be on the "short list" of consultants used in the future.
The cost of the project went slightly over budget, according to HPC Chair David Schure. The Township had initially budgeted $5,000, but additional research and trips, placed the bill about $1,400 over approved expenses, "but we couldn't have moved this project along without their help," Mr. Schure said.
The Township, which has its own in-house Historic Designation office, contracted with Arch2 because of a potential conflict of interest with the Township's Historic Designation officer, Christine Lewandowski.
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The Princeton Township Historic Preservation Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed historic district for the Deer Path and Clover Lane neighborhood next Wednesday, May 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Township Hall's main meeting room.