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| Concerned Citizens Move Forward With Appeal Against RedevelopmentCandace BraunFollowing dismissal from the Mercer County Supreme Court regarding the Concerned Citizens of Princeton's lawsuit against the Borough, the group is now appealing to the state with their case. A community group formed in opposition to the Borough's $13.7 million downtown redevelopment project, Concerned Citizens filed a lawsuit 20 months ago because it said that the Borough misused or misinterpreted New Jersey's Local Redevelopment and Housing Law. The Borough determined that the former Park n' Shop Lot on Spring Street and the Tulane Street parking lot were in need of redevelopment, or "blighted," which led to Phase I of the project, a 500-space parking garage on Spring Street, and a five-story mixed-use building and plaza. Phase II of the project, which the citizens are also opposed to, will consist of a five-story apartment building with a convenience store on the first floor. Herb Hobler, Concerned Citizens treasurer, recently received a letter from Borough Mayor Joe O'Neill dated August 26, acknowledging that, "Borough Council has misused the 'Blighted Area Act' to avoid compliance with public bidding laws." "I don't know whether Council was naive or if they failed to get appropriate legal advice," said Mr. Hobler, adding that Council overlooked certain "statutory limitations" in order to get the Spring Street garage built. However, Mayor O'Neill said he disagreed with Concerned Citizens' interpretation of the letter: "I think they have completely misread the sentence." The paragraph in question discusses the Borough's decision to invoke the Local Redevelopment Act in order to move the project forward without public input. "We resorted to the act, and I say this more with hindsight than foresight, because it was easier for us to get the garage done with an experienced partner," reads Mayor O'Neill's letter. Mr. O'Neill said the sentence in the letter was meant to assure the Concerned Citizens that Council did not have foresight into the action, and that the action was not deliberate. Concerned Citizens intend to move forward with their appeal to the state, hoping to prevent the next phase of the downtown redevelopment project from being completed. "We had no choice but to sue the Borough in an attempt to stop [the redevelopment project]," said Jim Firestone, president of Concerned Citizens. "The issue has major implications for dozens of other towns in the state." | |||||||||||||||