Downtown project still said to be on track.
By: Jennifer Potash
The downtown garage project remains on track as the borough waits for permits from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to remove water from the site, borough officials said Tuesday.
The borough, in conjunction with developer Nassau HKT Associates LLC, plans to build a 500-car garage, two mixed-use buildings and new plaza at the site of two municipal parking lots off Spring Street. The garage has a December completion deadline.
At the conclusion of a court-ordered environmental remediation of the Park & Shop lot, bounded by Witherspoon and Spring streets, conducted by Public Service Electric & Gas Co. last winter, an excavated hole for the new garage’s lower floors filled with groundwater and precipitation.
Borough Engineer Carl Peters has estimated about 1 million gallons need to be removed. The state DEP permit will allow the removal of 100,000 gallons per day. The work is expected to conclude by early June, officials said.
On Tuesday, the Borough Council approved a $53,540 contract with PMK Group for additional environmental cleanup of contaminants at the project’s other site, the metered Tulane Street parking lot, and to conduct the dewatering of the garage site.
A preliminary investigation last year found some minor contamination of the groundwater and soil at the Tulane Street site. The developers estimate the Tulane lot’s environmental cleanup costs at about $125,000, which also includes monitoring for two years. The borough, according to the redevelopment agreement for the project, is responsible for the cost.
The discussion Tuesday also led to a testy exchange between Jim Firestone, president of Concerned Citizens of Princeton, and Councilman David Goldfarb about the controversial garage project. Concerned Citizens lost a bid in Mercer County Superior Court to halt the garage project but is now appealing that ruling.
When Mr. Firestone questioned why the borough would spend more money on the development when the project’s future remains uncertain, Mr. Goldfarb responded the future is quite clear.
"We don’t know if the garage will go ahead," Mr. Firestone said.
Mr. Goldfarb retorted, "Yes, we do."
Mr. Firestone said several hundred Princeton Borough residents disagree with Mr. Goldfarb and "that’s why we are in court."
Mr. Firestone also said testing the Tulane Street site could "open a Pandora’s Box" for the borough, noting that if the investigation finds serious contamination, the municipality is responsible for the cleanup.
The borough can seek compensation from the previous owners and possibly from an insurance policy, Mr. Goldfarb replied.
Tests of Harry’s Brook, which drains the Spring Street area, by both the Princeton Regional Health Department and an outside consultant found no contamination from the coal tar removal at the Park & Shop site, Mr. Goldfarb said.

