To the Editor:

It is an old saying — a picture is worth a thousand words — but it still rings true. This was starkly evident at the series of Planning Board meetings in the fall dedicated to the hospital site redevelopment. For weeks the applicant, AvalonBay, pressed its case using too many words, while giving the Planning Board and the public the most minimal information, particularly in regards to what the proposed project would look like once constructed. Finally, local architects took it upon themselves using their own resources to create a series of three-dimensional representations of the Avalon Bay project and its relationship to the surrounding neighborhood context. All of a sudden, after hour upon hour of testimony and public comment, the impact of this project on the neighborhood was made clear to all assembled.

This type of “evidence” should not have to be done at the expense and time of our citizens. Three-dimensional views illustrating the massing of building and landscape elements and scale relationships to surrounding context should become a submission requirement of all substantial development proposals to the Planning Board. These types of views, often called “renderings,” used to be an added burden to the design professionals who prepared the drawings for construction. However, software development over the past 15 years has transformed the way architects and other designers do their work. Now, every architectural student graduates with the skills to use advanced visualization tools.

As a practicing architect, I can attest to the routine use of simple renderings as part of the design process. Three-dimensional views offer tremendous benefits in terms of understanding and time-saving to clients and the public who are not trained in reading “floor plans.” For the hospital site redevelopment, these tools would prove invaluable in determining compliance with the MRRO Zone Ordinance’s Design Standards.

Now, AvalonBay is trying to gain approval for a revised design, but have not yet come forward with documents to allow the Planning Board or the general public to fully understand the nature of the proposal. It is time that three-dimensional representations of substantial proposed developments become a requirement of the Planning Board submission, and not just for AvalonBay, but for all future projects. This will not impose appreciable hardship on developers and in fact will help expedite the approval process. The gain for Princeton will be significant.

Evan Yassky

Hawthorne Avenue