Princeton Borough Council last Tuesday moved to introduce an ordinance that, if passed following an April 28 public hearing, would limit residential house sizes as a means of retaining neighborhood character.
First reviewed by Council in 2004, the ordinance has been in planning review for much of that time due to some residents' perceived discrepancies in the law between various Borough zoning districts. As it stands the proposed code limits housing size by using a property's floor-to-area ratio (FAR). That measure gauges how much "house" actually covers an individual lot.
A major point of contention with some residents, particularly those living in the Borough's western section, the R-1 zoning district, where property lots are significantly larger than other parts of the Borough, was a proposed cap — since removed — that would have limited building capacity even if property size were to increase.
Those same residents have worried that building caps would impose restrictions that could translate into lowered property values and for several years now have advocated for a focus on the proportionality with the floor-area ratio (FAR) and the height-to-setback ratios.
Under the advice of Planning Director Lee Solow, the Borough included a new setback standard, the building to height setback ratio, that essentially mandates that as a building gets taller, the further away from the front of the property the expansion needs to be.
The FAR, under the ordinance, is equivalent under all zones.
Members of Council, who acknowledged that there could be property-specific obstacles in enforcing the ordinance, largely favored the language and philosophy behind the code. "We're trying to prevent the kind of development that takes away from the attractiveness of a neighborhood," said Councilman David Goldfarb.
Councilwoman Wendy Benchley agreed, saying that while she still had concerns, the ordinance is "so much better than what's on the books now."
Councilman Roger Martindell encouraged Council to revisit the ordinance on a regular basis after passage.
Before Council hears the ordinance on April 28, the code will go up for final Planning Board review Thursday, April 20.