By Anne Levin

Thanks to an ordinance passed at the Monday, September 8 meeting of Princeton Council, the tennis facility at Community Park South is about to undergo a substantial reconstruction.

A five-year lease agreement with the nonprofit Princeton Tennis Program (PTP) is for the reconstruction of 12 tennis courts and the tennis shed. It includes a contribution of up to $600,000 from the PTP, starting with $30,000 when the project gets underway. The facility currently consists of 15 courts.

“We’re grateful for all the work that’s been put into this,” said Councilwoman Michelle Pirone-Lambros, who was closely involved in bringing the agreement to fruition. “We’ve had a long relationship with the PTP. They bring a lot to the table, helping us with programming, managing the program, and ongoing repairs and maintenance.”

Council President Mia Sacks commented that Princeton was a forerunner in New Jersey in encouraging integrated tennis. Councilman Leighton Newlin agreed.

“Thanks in particular for really leaning into the equity piece,” he said. “Tennis should be for everyone. This contract serves the needs of all Princetonians, and I’m really glad we’re continuing on a long relationship.”

It is anticipated that the project will be completed in 2026 or 2027.

Council also voted in favor of an ordinance establishing an affordable housing district at the site of a vacant office building on Thanet Road. The plan allows for stacked townhouses in multiple buildings. The structures will contain both market-rate and affordable units, both of which are expected to be for sale rather than for rent.

Mayor Mark Freda expressed concerns that the affordable units appear, in the concept plan, to be in separate buildings from the market-rate units, and would have interior finishes that are not of the same quality. Sacks responded that a lot of work was done by municipal staff and Councilman David Cohen, who is an architect, to ensure that this is not the case, and that the project conforms to rules of the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls (UHAC).

Newlin thanked Freda for bringing up the issues, which had concerned him until he spoke with with Planning Director Justin Lesko.

During public comment, local resident Hendricks Davies spoke enthusiastically about the ordinance. “I’ve been asking and pleading for this for years,” he said. “Give attention to the needs of affordable housing for sale to residents.”

Council voted in favor of two resolutions that will begin the process of redeveloping the former Chestnut Street Firehouse as an affordable housing site. The agreement says that Princeton Community Housing (PCH) will build, develop, own, and operate a 16-unit, 100 percent affordable housing development on the property, which is at 13 Chestnut Street.

Ed Truscelli, the executive director of PCH, said that consideration will be given to the history of the firehouse, which includes extensive memorabilia.

“This will be a very exciting development,” he said. “Thanks for your persistence and your confidence in us.”

Councilman Brian Macdonald reported on a letter that the Mayor and Council received from members of the Jewish community about recent antisemitic acts in Princeton. The incidents, which have been in the form of graffiti — particularly around parks — and speech at public gatherings, are being taken seriously by the Princeton Police Department, he said. The detective bureau is investigating, and patrols have increased around The Jewish Center Princeton and the parks where incidents have occurred.

The next meeting of Council is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23 at 7 p.m.