To the Editor:
I “virtually” attended the Planning Board Meeting on April 16 about designation of the Westminster Choir College site as an Area in Need of Redevelopment (ANR). Based on what I heard that evening, I have multiple concerns.
The first is the lack of a preliminary plan for the site. I understand that it is not technically required for the ANR designation. But as others have said, $42 million was spent to purchase the property and more will be spent to develop it. This will have a significant impact on Princeton residents’ taxes to finance the debt. How can Princeton move forward without a proposal which should then be available for comment from the public?
My second concern is whether the existing buildings will be adaptively reused. The consultant’s catalogue of building deficiencies gave a strong impression that the buildings should be torn down. Again, I realize that it was the consultant’s position to provide as much evidence as possible about the poor current condition of the buildings to support the ANR designation. (Some of the issues presented are due to “benign neglect” of the property since Rider vacated the site and not to poor construction. Accessibility, water damage, and mechanical systems deficiencies are easily resolved in buildings that are structurally sound.)
One can easily imagine that these buildings can be renovated and used for much-needed affordable housing in Princeton. I often read about the reuse of classroom and dorm buildings in Preservation magazine. The site would offer residents open space, room for parking, and walkable proximity to the shopping center. Given the size of the site, it would not encroach on the character of the neighborhood. In addition, reuse would eliminate the ‘lost carbon debt’ of tearing the buildings down, compounded by additional carbon debt of new construction, which should be an environmental consideration.
I urge the Princeton Council and Planning Board to use a portion of the site and its existing buildings for affordable housing.