Graduate Hotel Wants Princeton's Chamber Street To Be One-Way

PRINCETON, NJ — The developers of Graduate Hotel have requested a change in plans to keep Chamber Street open to two-way traffic during construction. Developers said that after on-site examination they determined the road was not broad enough for two-way traffic.

Council members were not pleased to hear this new development during Monday’s meeting.

The developer's attorney, Christopher DeGrezia and construction manager David Chipman, explained that after putting up construction scaffolding and other barriers, the travel lane would only be 15 feet wide. This would not be enough for two-way traffic.

They requested Council for permission to make a portion of Chamber Street, closest to Nassau, one-way. The remaining portion – 16, 22 and 32 Chambers – including the parking garage will remain two-way.

Councilwoman Eve Niedergang expressed frustration over the changed plans.

“It is pretty disturbing that the work wasn’t done then, when you gave us assurances that this (two-way street) was possible,” Niedergang said. “And now the assurances we’ve given our business community and other members of the community go down the toilet. You made a mistake and now are asking us to go back on commitments we made.”

Councilwoman Mia Sacks said it wasn’t a good start to the project.

DeGrezia admitted a mistake was made and said a two-way street was “possible, but not safe.”

During the public comment section, business community members opposed the one-way traffic suggestion.

Jessica Durrie of Small World Coffee said she was opposed to the traffic change request. In a letter, read by councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros, Durrie said local businesses are still recovering from the pandemic and making traffic one-way on a portion of Chamber Street will only make matters worse.

She asked Council to consider Andrew Siegel’s suggestion to finish underground work on Witherspoon Street and then pause the project until the Graduate hotel is completed. This would help in restoring two-way traffic and on-street parking.

Mayor Mark Freda and Council agreed to have municipal staff meet the Graduate Hotel construction team to review details. Freda hoped a solution could be reached at the next Council meeting.

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