Princeton Will Not Rescind Designation For Seminary Buildings

PRINCETON, NJ — The township will not rescind the “Area in Need of Redevelopment” designation for Princeton Theological Seminary’s Tennent-Roberts-Whiteley campus, Council said Monday.

The Mayor and Council had received a letter from a group of township residents urging them to consider rescinding the designation.

Mayor Mark Freda said council decided not to take action after consulting with the attorney. “Removing the designation will likely end us up in court, in that removing the designation could remove value from the property,” Freda said.

“At this point, we decided not to take any action on the request.”

Princeton Theological Seminary hopes to demolish the Tennent-Roberts-Whiteley buildings on Stockton Street to make way for new development. The Princeton Coalition for Responsible Development (PCRD) has argued that the buildings are of historical importance. But the buildings as such do not have a historic designation to protect them.

The PCRD said the ANR status for the Seminary should be rescinded and the site returned to the zoned status of R3 or E4, ensuring any new development will be appropriate for the neighborhood.

The Mercer Hill Historic District Association (MHHDA) wrote a letter to the township’s Historic Preservation Commission last week, urging them to preserve “Princeton’s historic buildings and neighborhoods.”

After Freda made the announcement, the meeting was open to public comment.

"Allowing financially sound property owners to let their properties deteriorate in order to establish blight is a dangerous precedent," former Councilwoman Jo Butler, a resident of Hibbens Road said. "are we really going to sacrifice the town's historic properties, the right to zone the responsibility to residents due to fear of litigation? Apparently, we are."

Tom Chapman representing the MHHDA urged the council to take action to prevent the demolition of the buildings as it would prove to be an "irrevocable loss to the community and should not be accepted without rigorous review."

To watch Monday's council meeting, click here.

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