Princeton Planning Board Delays Decision On Humbert St. Project

PRINCETON, NJ — The Princeton Planning Board has delayed its decision on the site plan for 23-25 Humbert Street to July 1.

At Thursday night's meeting, members of the planning board said there were more “variances that were necessary.” The developer will now be revising the plan.

Metuchen-based Simplify Living Inc. is planning to build a three-unit multifamily townhomes on the site. The units will have two stories, a basement and will include two off-street parking spaces per unit.

Planning Board attorney Gerald Muller said that municipal staff met with the applicants and spoke about the full range of variances required for the project to be correctly noticed in communications to neighbors.

Muller said it is a “very unusual configuration, and many necessary variances were pointed out in a report by the zoning department.”

“The staff looked further at it. They thought more variances than that were necessary. The developers now have to re-notice,” he said.

The application hearing that began April 15 has faced opposition from community members concerned about the size of the project.

The municipal staff "has been in conference with the applicant" to go over some of the issues that came up at the previous hearing said planning director Michael LaPlace.

“Revised exhibits” of the variances will now be presented to the board and public on July 1.

The public will be allowed to comment on the new material presented by the developer, said the zoning board.

At the April 15 meeting, neighbors raised concerns over the project as they feel it would impact the character of the neighborhood.

Resident Leigh Gibson said the current space is adequate for two townhomes and that eliminating the third unit would meet the requirement for open space.

She urged the board to think hard about the standards it would be setting for the neighborhood if the variance requests were granted.

“The precedent this will set on Humbert Street for a number of homes that are clearly rental properties in decline, will be enormous,” said Gibson.

Resident Andrew Tolland said his major concern was that the project would bring “substantial change in character.”

Ronald C Neilsen who lives on Humbert street said building three housing units on the site will be “downgrading this neighborhood.”

“The characteristic of Humbert Street is one- and two-family structures. I don’t like the idea of a single structure with three units in it,” he said.

Jim Ross who lives across the street from the proposed development said three units was an “overkill.”

He said if students would rent the units, they would have more cars on the street, adding to parking issues.

“This is not quaint. We moved to Princeton for quaint,” Ross said. “To see a hulking building just put in, I think it will disrupt the neighborhood.”

The proposed townhomes are expected to be built on high sustainability standards. Their location on Humbert Street would be a walkable distance to downtown Princeton.

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