Princeton University Identifies Expansion Sites; West Windsor Campus Is Possible

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton University has identified potential sites for expansion, the university announced this week. The university is considering putting a new undergraduate residential college south of Poe Field and east of Elm Drive. It is also considering potential sites for the expansion of engineering and environmental studies along the north side of Ivy Lane and Western Way, west of FitzRandolph Road.

It is also considering the development of land it owns south of Lake Carnegie in West Windsor, to be used for teaching and research.

"The University's strategic planning process identified expansion of the undergraduate student body, engineering, and environmental studies as major priorities for Princeton," Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber said in a statement on the university’s website. "After extensive assessments and consultations with multiple constituencies, we believe our planners have identified promising locations for the facilities necessary to implement these priorities while also preserving sites and options that are essential to sustain the quality of the University's many ongoing activities and future projects.

"We have more work to do and more consultations to conduct before making final decisions, and we welcome comments from members of our campus, town and alumni communities as we continue to refine our planning."

The recommended site for the new residential college is south of the open space known as the ellipse and near Butler, Wilson and Whitman colleges. While only one new building was needed to accommodate 125 new students in each undergraduate class, the search included sites that could house a second new college in the future, if needed, the university said.

Ivy Lane and Western Way are both owned and maintained by the university. Right now, parking lots cover most of the area, although the proposed sites also would encompass the land that currently houses the Ferris Thompson faculty and staff apartments. Alternative locations will be proposed for parking areas. Ferris Thompson faculty and staff may also be relocated, but that wouldn’t happen for several years, according to the university.

The goal for these areas is to expand the the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and programs in environmental studies, including the Princeton Environmental Institute, the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and the Department of Geosciences.

The proposed location would facilitate regular interchange between engineering and environmental studies and would provide each of these critical and expanding fields with the new and improved space they need," Eisgruber said.

The location is near existing engineering spaces that will remain in place, and other departments (including other natural science departments and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) with which both engineering and environmental studies frequently interact.

Building design and specifications are not yet under consideration. The process has also not yet addressed the future of the existing engineering quadrangle, which has been housing engineering teaching and research since 1962, or the existing spaces occupied by environmental studies. After these decisions are made, the university said it will do more detailed planning, select architects and pursue the necessary fundraising.

In considering new parking areas, the university would put more of a focus on carpooling and reducing the number of cars entering campus that only carry one person.

The proposed development into West Windsor would support a variety of activities related to the university’s academic programs, innovation initiatives and administrative needs, along with athletic and recreational uses, housing of various kinds and parking. Housing would be for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. All undergraduate housing and all academic classrooms would continue to be located north of the lake.

The university is considering ways to connect the proposed West Windsor campus to the rest of the university in Princeton. One plan under consideration is a bridge that would allow pedestrians, cyclists and light vehicles like golf carts to cross Lake Carnegie and the Delaware and Raritan Canal at a location between Washington Road and Harrison Street without having to rely on the existing roads.

It is also looking at ways to enhance the land’s natural features as the lake and the canal, so that the public can have a better appreciation for them.

Facilities currently used by the softball and outdoor tennis teams will likely be relocated, likely to the West Windsor campus.

The campus planning process was launched in July 2014. The planning framework is expected to be completed and made public in the fall of 2017.

The principal consultant for the university’s campus planning project is Toronto-based Urban Strategies, while other consultants bring specific expertise in areas ranging from infrastructure and sustainability to athletics facilities, traffic, parking and landscaping.

The planning process has been closely integrated with the university's strategic planning process and informed by outreach of various kinds to students, faculty, staff, alumni leaders, local, regional and state officials, and community groups.

During the course of the planning project presentations have been made to the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) and at open public meetings in Princeton and West Windsor. Additional presentations are being planned.

Information about the planning process and opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback can be found at the university’s campus plan website and at a blog site hosted by Urban Strategies.

The embedded images were posted on princeton.edu.