Plan in very early stages for armory site off River Road.
By: David Campbell
The Princeton Joint Recreation Board is weighing the feasibility of building an illuminated Little League baseball field on a portion of the land adjacent to the National Guard Armory on River Road. The matter was discussed at the board’s meeting Thursday night.
Recreation Director Jack Roberts said the proposal was "very, very early" in the planning process, which he said could take about a year to complete.
But he said possible use of a portion of the site, which will require a master plan, is expected to be discussed in upcoming joint budget talks for the borough and township of Princeton.
A draft version of the Recreation Department’s joint capital budget for 2004, which is subject to review by the governing bodies of both municipalities, currently includes $237,000 for the construction of a field, and $15,000 for evaluating potential uses of armory and adjacent Sewer Operating Committee lands off River Road.
Among other things, the master-plan study would evaluate the feasibility of a joint Princeton public works facility somewhere on the lands an idea that officials in both municipalities have been considering for some time.
In past discussions by the recreation board, the area had also been cited as a possible location for an indoor athletic facility for basketball and other activities, for which $740,000 has been proposed in the draft joint budget for 2004, deferred from 2003.
But these, like many of the ideas floated for the armory and SOC lands, are still subject to ongoing discussion. In the meantime, several outstanding issues still need to be resolved, Mr. Roberts said.
The recreation board has yet to sit down with borough and township officials to discuss the master plan and what it would propose. A consultant would also have to be brought in as part of that planning process.
Meanwhile, talks are under way with the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs over possible use of some of its land near the armory for the illuminated Little League baseball field. Princeton does not own the land and would need to arrange for a lease or deed from the state to build there. While possible parking could be part of an arrangement, use of the armory itself would not, Mr. Roberts said.
Another matter that may figure into possible plans for the area was a decision by the Princeton Borough Council to substitute 20.5 acres at the SOC site for preservation for a disputed 3-acre tract that became part of the affordable Elm Court senior-housing project.
This summer, the council and the Princeton Township Committee agreed to joint ownership of land surrounding a former sewer plant off River Road. The inter-local services agreement settles an old dispute between the municipalities over ownership and puts both communities on equal footing to decide how best to use the land for their mutual benefit in the future.
The land in question is a 171-acre parcel of largely undeveloped and wooded land off River Road that once was the home of the Princeton sewer plant and landfill. Last month, the Borough Council narrowly approved an ordinance adding the township to the deed to the land.