McCarter Theatre expansion under review.
By: David M. Campbell
The Princeton Regional Planning Board on Thursday night unanimously approved a subdivision of Coventry Farm, which was slated for development for age-restricted housing but instead was acquired as open space.
At press time, the board was considering a 350-seat addition to McCarter Theatre, and some members had expressed concerns about parking and pedestrian drop-off during showtimes.
The board voted 7-0, with members Wendy Benchley and Philip Feig abstaining, to approve the Coventry Farm subdivision following the Township Committee’s unanimous approval May 24 of an ordinance appropriating $6 million to purchase the property, which otherwise would have been developed for 66 housing units.
"I think I’ll show you all the work I saved you from not having to do," said J. Robert Hillier, who has a contract to buy the land, as he explained the age-restricted housing plans, now set aside. "For your information, we had 18 buyers ready to move in here."
Under the former development plan, less than 9 percent of the total 165-acre property would have been developed, Mr. Hillier said.
The acquisition is a joint effort with the Delaware & Raritan Greenway, which will pay $9.5 million to the Winant family, which has owned the property off The Great Road since the 19th century, and Mr. Hillier.
As a result of the board’s action, an 11-acre lot with a house on the west side of The Great Road will be set aside for use as housing for Princeton Day School faculty.
A 23-acre parcel, also to the west of The Great Road, will be used for active recreation, including athletic fields.
About 28 acres in the northeast corner of the property will be deeded to Princeton Township as an addition to the Mountain Lakes recreation area, and 93 acres of the farm on the east side will be placed in a perpetual conservation easement.
An additional parcel on the east side of The Great Road will be subdivided into nine residential lots. There are currently six existing dwellings, and the three remaining lots will be developed for residential housing.
The Winants will continue to live in a residence on that site.
"I think this is fabulous, and I think everyone here should be thrilled with the efforts of the Greenway and the neighbors," said Township Mayor and Planning Board member Phyllis Marchand.
The board also heard testimony for a 27,110-square-foot addition to McCarter Theatre, but had outstanding concerns about inadequate parking and traffic congestion in front of the theater resulting from dropoffs at showtimes.
"I think it’s going to be a major source of potential traffic hazard," said board member Bill Enslin. "Your conflict happens in the 15 to 20 minutes before showtime."
Ms. Benchley expressed similar concerns.
The proposed Berlind Theatre would be built at the southern end of the roughly 3-acre site on College Road and University Place, and would house a 350-seat theater, two rehearsal halls, offices and auxiliary spaces.
The existing theater seats about 1,000 and hosts from 170 to 180 performances annually. The addition, which is expected to cost $10.5 million to build, would increase capacity to 1,474, which includes new rehearsal spaces.
The new theater would be shared by Princeton University theater and dance students and McCarter.
In other business Thursday night, the Planning Board unanimously approved the Nassau’s Inn’s request for a one-year extension of the approval for its expansion project, which the board approved more than two years ago. When an approval expires, an application must be resubmitted to the board.
Inn officials were before the Planning Board in February and April and requested an adjournment in order to work out longstanding issues with Princeton Borough.
Mayor Marvin Reed, who indicated several months ago he might oppose Nassau Inn’s request, said Monday that he would support the extension.
The installation of a traffic signal at Chambers Street and Paul Robeson Place, one of the conditions imposed by the Planning Board on the inn, was completed before Memorial Day.
"I think that’s a sign of good faith," Mayor Reed said.
After a testing phase, the signal should be fully operational by the end of this month, said Borough Engineer Carl Peters.
The project is a 28,000-square-foot addition on the south side of Hulfish Street that would allow expansion of the inn’s ballroom, add 32 guest rooms and house two new retail stores on the street level. It was approved by the Planning Board in September 1998. That approval was set to expire in December 2000 but scheduling conflicts prevented it from being heard at that time.