To the Editor:
How refreshing and inspiring to read about Princeton Day School senior Phoebe Dickler’s “Residential Architecture for Affordability” (RAFA) project in the Town Topics [“Local Students Share Their Entrepreneurial Ideas For Plastic Waste, Affordable Housing, Cancer Research,” November 19]. Congratulations also to the other students working on innovative solutions to plastic waste and cancer research. Bravo!
Phoebe notes on her website: “The RAFA Project is dedicated to creating aesthetically pleasing, affordable housing designs that blend seamlessly with the traditional landscape of downtown Princeton, New Jersey.” (phoebedickler.wixsite.com/rafaprojectprinceton).
It was wonderful to read that Phoebe’s two-and-a-half-story residential designs for the Stockton Street/Herring Properties site are inspired by Princeton’s own early 19th c. architect/builder Charles Steadman and his Greek Revival style houses. In the Town Topics interview Phoebe pointed out, “Seeing the renderings (of the proposed 238 unit apartment complex in the Town Topics, September 10, 2025), I could immediately tell this was something really out of character for Princeton. As a budding architect who loves Princeton, I could see that this was not going to fit. I know that there is a waiting list for affordable housing of more than 1,000 families. The proposed building only has the minimum requirement of 20 percent affordable. I wanted to design something where at least 80 to 90 percent are affordable.”
Whew, I almost fell off my chair. Thank you Phoebe for noticing the Herring Properties proposal for the Stockton Street site is way too big and has way too little affordable housing.
The Defend Historic Princeton website (defendhistoricprinceton.org) has a similar yet more urgent message: “Princeton needs more affordable housing, in every neighborhood, and in harmony with the town’s unique historical character. An aggressive high-density urbanism for affluent renters threatens that harmony. On Stockton Street, a massive luxury complex is set to obliterate the character of Princeton’s oldest residential neighborhood.”
This past summer, Kelly Ruffel, executive director of Preservation New Jersey (PNJ) first wrote to mayor and Council and then to the Town Topics [Mailbox, July 16] on the same subject: “Balancing Preservation and Progress.” Ruffel offered similar guidance: “PNJ acknowledges and supports the critical need for affordable housing…. PNJ also supports projects that respect and preserve the architectural and cultural context of their surroundings. Integrating new construction within historic districts — rather than overwhelming them — is essential for sustainable, community-centered planning.”
Kelly’s goal is to collaborate with the community and local officials, property owners, and developers to find creative, preservation-minded solutions.
Hopefully our town officials and Princeton residents will also be inspired by Phoebe Dickler’s RAFA project, read the Defend Historic Princeton website (DHP is “for” affordable housing and wants to “defend” against over development) and reach out to Kelly Ruffel at Preservation New Jersey.
The common theme? Princeton needs more affordable housing that fits into the scale and density of our many unique and very historic neighborhoods.
CAROLYN H. ROBERTSON
President, Mercer Hill Historic District Association
Mercer Street