McMansions put squeeze on borough neighborhoods

Critics cite lost opportunity for more affordable housing.

By: Jennifer Potash
   A perpetual cry in Princeton Borough is for more housing suitable for senior citizens and those of modest means.
   Princeton Borough had the opportunity — and some say squandered it — to add more than a half-dozen affordable units near the Spruce Circle senior living center on a lot at the corner of Harrison Street and Hamilton Avenue.
   Now, a portion of that property is being developed into a single-family, four-bedroom house with a list price of $890,000. The house, at 187 Hamilton Ave., will be completed at the end of July, said Phyllis Soriero, a sales agent at Prudential Fox and Roach.
   "I think it’s a huge missed opportunity," said David Kinsey, a planning consultant and former trustee of Princeton Community Housing, the nonprofit landlord for the Princeton Community Village, Elm Court and Griggs Farm developments.
   The municipality could have added sorely needed low- and moderate-income housing, he said.
   The borough acquired the property, which included a house, in 1997 for $200,000 with the intention that the borough’s Housing Authority would later buy the property from the borough and develop the site as affordable housing. At the time, the Housing Authority lacked the funds to purchase the property outright.
   The Housing Authority’s plan was to add five senior-housing units with funding assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
   In 2000, the Housing Authority learned the project was ineligible for HUD funds despite previous assurances from the federal agency, according to then-Housing Authority Director Mary Jo Grauso.
   Ms. Grauso said it probably would have cost $750,000 to build the units on the site.
   Michael Mostoller, an architect and member of the Princeton Regional Board of Education, did some preliminary sketches for the Hamilton Avenue property for the Housing Authority. The plan called for about five or six apartments in a three-story townhouse-style structure, Mr. Mostoller said.
   The borough, which leased the house to a tenant for a couple of years, sold the property in 2001 for "more than we paid for it," around $250,000, Mayor Marvin Reed recalled. The property was then subdivided. The lot on which the new house is being built is owned by Won and Youn Kim.
   The proceeds from the sale went into the borough’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
   On Tuesday, the Borough Council addressed a concern related to the development of 187 Hamilton Ave. — the possibility of McMansions, or oversized houses on smaller lots, popping up in established neighborhoods.
   For the most part, the stretch of Hamilton Avenue between Harrison Street and Linden Lane has modest, salt-box style houses, said Borough Zoning Officer Frank Slimak.
   The new house will be 3,050 square feet. The neighboring properties probably range from 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, Mr. Mostoller said.
   And in contrast to the $890,000 cost for the new house, other Hamilton Avenue houses sold at prices ranging from $200,000 to $470,000 in 2002.
   As land values skyrocket, property owners will be tempted to tear down the original small house and build a larger structure, Mr. Slimak observed.
   For the 187 Hamilton Ave. property, the larger house was permitted as a right under the municipal zoning code, Mr. Slimak said.
   Mr. Slimak presented some draft zoning ordinances to the Borough Council that would reduce bulk regulations for new housing in residential zones that may "begin to pare some things down."
   The goal is to strike a balance in neighborhoods so the houses are not all the same size, but McMansions don’t dwarf more modest houses, Mr. Slimak said.
   Another proposal under consideration is the creation of buffer historic housing districts, Mr. Slimak said. The borough already has four historic districts — Mercer Hill, Bank Street, Central Historic District and Jugtown, and major changes to properties in these districts require review by the Historic Preservation Review Committee and often the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
   The Historic Review Committee is looking into establishing a buffer district in the so-called Andersontown area between Moore Street and Queenston Place, between the Central Historic District and Jugtown. A buffer district would require a review by the committee and help ensure that in-fill development is in keeping with the character of the district, Mr. Slimak said.
   Councilman Roger Martindell said one problem with cases like the Hamilton Avenue property is the borough’s lack of an overall affordable-housing strategy.
   He opposes the current direction, which he described as the borough acquiring property and building affordable units when the opportunity arises — but, under federal regulations, the borough cannot give preference to Princeton residents to occupy those units.
   Instead, Mr. Martindell said, the borough ought to help modest-income residents stay in their homes by helping with repairs and offering reverse mortgages, so when the resident either sells the property or dies, the residence becomes party of the borough’s affordable-housing inventory. He concedes the majority of council does not support his position.
   "The bottom line is we’re not doing enough to help people and meet our affordable-housing needs," Mr. Martindell said.