Volume LXXVII, Number 43
New Apartment Building At Princeton Community Village . . . 5 Students “Dream Big” In Transfer Scholars Initiative Program . . . . 8 Forum on Plans for Seminary Property Draws Crowd . . . . . . . 9 New Jersey Symphony Opens Princeton Series . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 PU Football Edges Harvard 21-14, Moves Into 5-way Tie Atop Ivy League . . . . . . . . 25 PHS Girls’ Cross Country Places 1st At County Meet . . . 31
Appreciating Taylor Swift In This Week’s Book/ Record Review . . . . . 15 Art . . . . . . . . . . . .22, 23 Best of Fall. . . . . . . . . . 3 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 24 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 36 Fall Home & Real Estate . . 19-21 Mailbox . . . . . . . . .12, 13 Obituaries . . . . . . .34, 35 Performing Arts . . .17, 18 Real Estate. . . . . . . . . 36 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Work Nearly Complete, Washington Road Bridge Should Reopen Soon The Washington Road Bridge replacement project, under construction since late July, is nearing completion, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), which anticipates that Washington Road will reopen “sometime after October 31.” Washington Road has been closed between Faculty Road and Tiger Lane while the NJDOT has replaced the bridge over the D&R Canal. Motorists have taken alternate routes, most likely Alexander Road/Alexander Street or Harrison Street, into and out of town. NJDOT Press Manager Steve Schapiro has stated that a specific date for reopening has not yet been set. A gas main on the east side of the bridge has to be relocated, and more work remains on the bicycle/pedestrian section of the bridge. That part may open after the main bridge reopens to vehicular traffic. Original projections anticipated completion of the $9.4 million project by sometime in October. The NJDOT has been in regular communication with local Princeton authorities, as well as Princeton University, regarding the project. The NJDOT will provide advanced notice before reopening the bridge. Princeton Assistant Municipal Engineer Jim Purcell noted that Alexander Road has been quite congested since the Washington Road closure, especially at morning and evening rush hours, but Harrison Street, designated by the NJDOT as the primary alternate route, has seen fewer delays. Though Washington Road will soon be reopening, Purcell pointed out that at some point, probably within the next five years, Mercer County would be taking on the challenge of replacing/repairing the much larger Washington Road Bridge over Lake Carnegie. In his October 23 roadway conditions report to Princeton Council, Purcell stated that the Graduate Hotel had fallen about a month behind schedule on its construction at Nassau and Chambers streets due to a structural problem in the existing building. The opening of the hotel is still planned for May 2024, but Chambers Street will remain one lane northbound until the end of January, one month longer than anticipated. Continued on Page 11
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Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Town Unveils Details of Community Master Plan On October 19, Princeton’s Planning Board heard a presentation on the new Community Master Plan. Public comment was not part of that meeting, but residents will be able to ask questions and air their views of the plan at a public hearing on November 9. Municipal staff and consultants have been working on the current version of the plan for the past year and a half. Efforts to engage the public during the process have included surveys, interviews, open house events, and special listening sessions. Details are available at engage. princetonmasterplan.org. New Jersey law requires that a Community Master Plan, a kind of municipal road map for land use and development with details about circulation, hazard mitigation, climate resilience, conservation, utilities, and most aspects of the built and natural environment, be updated every 10 years. Princeton needs more housing, especially small dwelling units, said consultant Michael Sullivan of the firm Clarke Caton Hintz. The overall goals for land use in the plan are not for overdevelopment, but “are to create a unified zoning ordinance, focus higher residential density within and around the downtown and in mixed-use centers, and maintain progressively lower densities outside the downtown,” he said. The plan recommends that several
lots in town be considered for zoning of from one to four units each. Removing barriers to increased residential density would provide greater opportunities for economic development, Sullivan said. Justin Lesko, the town’s municipal planner, stressed early in the presentation that the new plan does not allow for unlimited growth. “We’re not disrupters,” he said. Referring to the need for more housing for the “missing middle,” Sullivan projected photographs of existing housing
in Princeton, including large houses on Wiggins Street that have been converted to multi-family dwellings, townhouses on Mercer Street, and apartments above stores on Nassau Street. Sullivan said the plan directs new housing away from areas of remaining open space, and protects environmental features. The plan “wants to grow not by coming in and creating midrise development everywhere,” he said. “It wants to sensitively and thoughtfully allow for the Continued on Page 10
School Bond Referendum on Nov. 7 Ballot Along with Local, County, and State Races
When Princeton residents mail in their ballots or vote early October 28 to November 5 at the Princeton Shopping Center voting site or at one of the other sites in the county, or vote on Election Day, November 7 at their assigned polling sites, they will be making choices in seven local, county, and state elections, as well as voting yes or no on a bond referendum. On the Princeton ballot are candidates for Princeton Council; for state Senate and general assembly in Legislative District 16; for Mercer County executive, sheriff, and Board of Commissioners; and for members of the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE). Also on the ballot is a $13 million PPS bond proposal to improve security and
technology infrastructure and address major maintenance projects. PPS is inviting community members to tour Princeton High School areas targeted for improvement on Thursday, October 26 from 7-8 p.m., and on Saturday, October 28 from 10-11 a.m. Visitors can check out the cafeteria, which would be renovated to create more seating for students and allow for more efficient lunch lines. The guided tour may also include the athletic field and track scheduled for resurfacing and the EcoLab, another area in need of repairs. For in-depth insights into the referendum proposal, the district recommends checking out the video of an October 18 virtual community forum, Continued on Page 7
OVERJOYED: Players on the Hun School field hockey team celebrate after they topped Princeton High in the Mercer County Tournament final last Monday night at Lawrence High. Second-seeded Hun edged top-seeded PHS 2-1 in a penalty shootout after the foes tied 3-3 through regulation and 20 minutes of overtime. It marked the first outright county crown for the Raiders, who improved to 13-3 with the win. For more details on the game, see page 28. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)