Volume LXXIV, Number 6
Local Girl Scout is a Face of New Cookie Packaging . . . . . . . . . 5 First Responder Robert Gregory Remembered by Friends, Co-Workers . . . 8 Park Commission to Conduct Burn at Mercer Meadows . . . . . 10 Reading and Listening to Bob Dylan . . . . . . . . . 12 McCarter Theatre Presents The Big Time . . . . . . . 13 Wright Has Big Weekend as PU Men’s Hoops Moves to 4-0 Ivy . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Junior Star Melvin Nets 1,000th Point for Stuart Hoops . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Aidan Trainor Starring for PHS Boys’ Hockey . . . 30 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . . 22,23 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 18 Classified Ads . . . . . . 36 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 33 Performing Arts . . . . . 14 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 36 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Redevelopment Plan For Thanet Property Introduced by Council At a special meeting January 30, Princeton Council voted to introduce a redevelopment plan for two proposed developments on Thanet Road, currently the site of office buildings that are 90 percent vacant. One of the proposals, by AvalonBay, is for a 221-unit, multi-family complex including six affordable apartments and five affordable apartments for adults with special needs. The other is an 80-unit, age-restricted, 100 percent affordable rental housing development by PIRHL Developers LLC. The proposals will be considered by the Planning Board at its meeting Thursday, February 6, to see if they are consistent with Princeton’s Master Plan. The plan comes back to Council for a public hearing at its meeting on February 10. The developments make up a significant portion of Princeton’s affordable housing settlement plan, which is due to be considered at a fairness hearing on Friday, February 7. AvalonBay, which was the developer of the apartment complex on the former site of Princeton Hospital, will make a payment in lieu of taxes on the Thanet property, the proceeds of which would offset the costs of building the senior development. “Tonight’s vote is specifically on the introduction of the redevelopment plan,” said Mayor Liz Lempert. “Even though it is a type of zoning document that does not speak specifically to the financing, we know there are a lot of questions on how this is going to work. We want to make sure we discuss that as part of the introduction tonight. There will be an agreement at the next meeting that will outline the financial arrangement between Princeton and the developer of the multi-family project [AvalonBay]. We want to make sure that everybody is clear on what those mechanisms will be.” A representative from the consultants Burgis Associates Inc., Princeton’s Planning Director Michael LaPlace, and Princeton Administrator Marc Dashield provided details of the concept plans. A single, four-story building is proposed for the senior housing. The AvalonBay development would include town homes and a multi-family building on the site of the existing office buildings, which would Continued on Page 7
arballet.org
75¢ at newsstands
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Princeton Responds to Coronavirus Threat With 20,438 confirmed cases and more than 420 deaths in China from 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), local officials in Princeton are working to respond to this global health crisis. As of Tuesday, the United States had 11 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but none in New Jersey. Health officials, locally and globally, are taking action to assess individuals who might have been exposed to the virus, which has been identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. Major American airlines have canceled flights to and from China, many businesses have been affected, and it is not clear how extensive quarantines, travel bans, and other restrictions may become. “At this time, the risk in the U.S. to the general public is low,” said Princeton Health Officer Jeffrey Grosser, “and in Princeton the risk is low. At this time there are a small number of cases in the U.S. To limit the risk of spread, health officials are working with health care providers to promptly identify and evaluate anyone they think may have the virus or may be at increased risk.”
Grosser described the town’s response as “an evolving situation,” and he could not say how many Princeton residents might be at risk. “Local health departments are receiving daily updates on guidance from the New Jersey Department of Health,” he said. “The Princeton Health Department has been working with Princeton University to make sure any ill students with a travel history are reported to our office immediately.” At Princeton University, where many students recently returned to campus for Monday’s start of second semester classes, University officials have been working since Monday morning to assess the risk
of about 100 students who had traveled from China. Based on guidance issued Sunday by the New Jersey Department of Health, everyone the University has assessed so far is low risk, meaning no need to self-quarantine, according to University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss. Low risk applies to individuals who have recently traveled to mainland China (including Wuhan City and Hubei Province), but have not had any close contact with any person confirmed to have 2019-nCoV. As of Tuesday afternoon, the University Continued on Page 7
101: Fund Celebrates 50 years Of Scholarships for PHS Students The 101: Fund, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to helping Princeton High School (PHS) graduates in need of financial assistance for college, will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on Saturday, March 21 with a party at Prospect House on the Princeton University campus, featuring music by the Franklin and Alison Band.
Since its inception in 1970, 101: has contributed millions of dollars to hundreds of students going on to colleges throughout the country. Founded by a school secretary and operating as the Princeton Regional Scholarship Foundation until 2008, 101: awards scholarships based on need with the goal of reducing the Continued on Page 9
A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: The Princeton University Art Museum hosted its annual gala, “A Night in the Imperial Kingdom,” on Saturday evening . The benefit raises funds for the museum’s exhibitions and outreach activities, which are offered to all, free of charge . Attendees share their favorite piece of art in the museum in this week’s Town Talk on page 6 . (Photo by Erica M. Cardenas)
GISELLE
February 14 – 16
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center: nbpac.org See ad on page 14