Princeton planners OK Hun School entryway

By: David Campbell
   The Princeton Regional Planning Board has unanimously approved plans by The Hun School of Princeton for demolition and construction of a new entryway addition to its main academic building fronting Russell Road.
   The expansion, approved Sept. 20, also includes a new vehicle drop-off in front of the 772-square-foot addition as well as the reconfiguration of parking areas on both sides of Russell Road.
   The approved expansion is being conducted in cooperation with Princeton Township’s reconstruction of Russell Road.
   The entry addition will provide space for administrative staff and a lobby.
   It includes a covered walkway along the front of the main academic building and the construction of new crosswalks, sidewalks and landscape improvements along Russell Road between Winant Road and Hun Road.
   The existing turnaround in front of the student center will be eliminated to provide landscaping, a paved courtyard and walkways.
   Nine of the 58 parking spaces in the lot to the south of Russell Road will be eliminated to accommodate the new drop-off.
   Hun currently has around 267 on-site parking spaces.
   The expansion is part of Hun’s 20-year master plan, which school officials have said is aimed at facility improvements, but is not intended to increase enrollment. The school has a student population of about 550, which Hun officials have said will remain steady.
   The 20-year plan calls for 14 campus improvement projects totaling 59,950 square feet of new building area, including the expansion of the library, additions to the dining hall and a fine-arts wing.
   The plan also calls for dormitory renovations, an expanded school auditorium and additional faculty townhouses.
   Funding comes from the school’s fund-raising efforts. The Edgerstoune Campaign, started in 1998, hopes to raise $20 million.