A group of 34 houses on a portion of Clover Lane and Deer Path Road is currently being considered by the Princeton Township Historic Preservation Commission for official historic designation.
The homes could qualify as historic for two reasons. First, the architecture is a clear departure from that of the standard mid-century design of Township suburbs, with one story, a flat-porch roof, two-car "carports" in lieu of a garage, and sliding sash windows. Entering the neighborhood is like entering a modern vision of a 1950s architect, in this case, the vision of noted 1950s architect David Savage.
Second, the neighbors, for the most part, love it. And some of them want that feeling preserved.
But walk through that neighborhood of low-lying homes and it's hard not to notice a 6,000 square-foot home rising on a large, l.75-acre lot along nearby North Littlebrook Road. Talk to some neighbors, and the concerns about impervious surface coverage echo those commonly heard about large-scale homes:
"Everybody is very concerned about his type of development reaching the sky," said Olivia Applegate of Random Road, who has been vocal about chronic flooding that occurs in that area, due to a strained Harry's Brook.
As the Township grapples with new statewide mandates concerning stormwater management, members of the Princeton Environmental Commission have scheduled a discussion for this evening's meeting, particularly focusing on Littlebrook, and a new developer on the block, KP Burke Builders, LLC, whose homes have been the target of some outraged neighbors.
"The main thing that I see is that we have these new stormwater management rules and also the new impervious surface ordinance, and the reason for some of these new laws is that we're concerned about the downstream impact of what people do to a lot upstream," said David Breithaupt, chair of the Princeton Environmental Commission.
"You build a very large house, and you cover up the grass that was there, so the water has to go somewhere.
"It might not be your immediate neighbor, but it could be someone down Harry's Brook," he said.
It is important to note that KP Burke is operating well within the Township's zoning ordinance. The zoning code allows for this type of development on this lot. As far as character is concerned, several lots on North Littlebrook deviate from the lot size of several surrounding streets, which often feature lot sizes less than half the capacity.
"We researched the property and we are conforming," said Kevin Burke, whose son, Kyle Burke, oversees the development of this particular property at 73 North Littlebrook. Mr. Burke also put the plans through the Carnassa Park Homeowners Association: "not an easy process to go through because they're careful and conscientious."
Some neighbors have contended that they were misled during the homeowners associations process, saying that the developer was not forthcoming regarding tree removal and the potential of exacerbating drainage problems on the site. Kyle Burke, in a November 2005 letter to the editor appearing in Town Topics, responded to the neighbors' concerns regarding deforestation. Of the 71 trees that measured 10 inches in diameter on the property, 16 were lost, but that the loss would be mitigated by 30 to 40 tree plantings on site.
Additionally, Mr. Burke wrote, the building plan was altered to head pipe runoff directly into the storm drains, rather than sending it into an existing drainage ditch that had been a point of concern for Carnassa Park neighbors.
The drainage issue, Mr. Burke said Tuesday, has been worked out with the Township Engineering Department. The only water that is going to run off of the property, he said, is from land that will continue to go undisturbed.
Mr. Burke also noted that the Township's Engineering Department is very "exacting" in its demands, "especially in terms of runoff and drainage.
"They look out for the -homeowner and the taxpayer. It's a tight ship."
Additionally, Mr. Burke said, Carnassa Park lots cannot be subdivided, so the number of dwellings will not rise.
But then there is the aesthetic value that several neighbors wish to maintain in the new development. An October 2005 letter that appeared in Town Topics from Clover Lane residents Jim and Cynthia Moorhead urged that the "natural attractions of the property" be preserved. The woods, that had been characteristic of that property, were "devastated," according to the letter, and had "diminished" the quality of life for the neighbors.
The Environmental Commission's Mr. Breithaupt said little could be done with the current development ("if you can't keep one step ahead, I guess it's good to keep one step behind"), but that the Princeton Community Master Plan could, at some point, reflect some of the concerns of the neighbors opposed to new development.
But in the case of 73 Littlebrook, there is a market for such homes, which sell for upwards of $2.5 million, and, as the senior Mr. Burke emphasized, his company builds on already populated areas. "We're not adding to the development and we're not promoting sprawl development.
"We're building close to the towns and schools, and we're not putting more stress onto the highways," he said. "I think we have been sensitive."
The Environental Commission will conduct a discussion on Littlebrook residential construction this evening, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Conference Room A of Township Hall.