Princeton Identifies Potential Affordable Housing Sites

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton officials have announced 10 areas where housing may be built in an effort to meet the town’s affordable housing obligations. Those areas, announced during a joint meeting of Princeton Council and the Planning Board, are listed below. The details, as posted as part of the public presentation on the town’s website, are included:

The Butler Tract at Princeton University: This project calls for 450 new units, 90 of which are classified as affordable housing, on 36 acres of land;

Lower Alexander Road: This mixed use proposal includes 300 new units, 60 of which are affordable housing, on 19 acres of land;

The Franklin Parking Lot and the Maple and Franklin Housing: 80 units, 60 of which are affordable housing, on 3 acres;

The Terhune and Harrison Assisted Living Facility: 89 units, 9 of which are affordable housing, on 4.5 acres;

The S-2 Rezoning Area: 150 units, 30 of which are affordable housing, on 25 acres;

375 Terhune Road: 25 units, 5 of which are affordable housing, on 2.5 acres;

The Princeton Shopping Center: 150 units, 30 of which are affordable housing, on 28 acres; and

Lytle Street: Two new units, both affordable housing, on just over half an acre.

There are also two locations that were not listed, which will house group homes and accessory apartments. Among the group homes, three of the units will earn 12 affordable housing credits for the town. Ten of the apartment units will be affordable housing.

The number of required affordable housing units in municipalities statewide has been in dispute, and often in litigation, since 1999. In 2015, authority concerning setting affordable housing requirements for municipalities throughout the state fell on the courts.

Princeton had been arguing that its need should be about 300 units, and joined other Mercer County towns in challenging their legal obligations in court.

In March, Mercer County Assignment Judge Mary C. Jacobson ruled that Princeton must build 753 new affordable housing units by 2025.

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The proposed projects account for 308 units. Princeton has 258 affordable housing units that have already been built, three that have been approved but not yet built and the possibility for 188 potential bonus credits, according to the presentation. Altogether, that would account for 757 affordable housing units, surpassing the total set forth by Judge Jacobson.

• Availability: clear title, free of encumbrances;
• Approvability: consistent with rules of all applicable agencies. Site may be approvable although not currently zoned for affordable housing;
• Developable: has access to water & sewer infrastructure, and is consistent with applicable water quality management plan; and
• Suitability: adjacent to compatible land uses, has appropriate access, and is consistent with environmental policies.

• Elm Court;
• John/Clay Street;
• Hamilton Avenue;
• 171 John Street;
• 16 Gulick Road;
• Griggs Farm;
• Washington Oaks;
• 7 Leigh Avenue;
• Karin Court; and
• RCA/Trenton.

It also has 472 affordable housing units that don’t carry COAH credits.

There will be a Planning Board hearing on this plan on June 7. Council would then endorse the plan at its June 11 meeting, and the Planning Board will meet again to discuss the topic if necessary on June 14. Council will discuss the plan at its July 23 meeting, if necessary.

A compliance hearing is scheduled before Judge Jacobson on July 24. If all goes well, council will introduce the plan by ordinance at its Aug. 13 meeting, with a public hearing and final vote scheduled for the Aug. 27 meeting.

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