New athletic center, expanded auditorium and other projects endorsed by Planning Board.
By: David Campbell
The Hun School of Princeton’s plans for various site improvements to its campus off Edgerstoune Road, including a new athletic center and expanded auditorium, a new "eco-classroom" and new pathways and drives, won the approval of the Princeton Regional Planning Board on Thursday night.
Included in the Hun plan is a new, two-story, 28,958-square-foot athletic center to be located west of the existing gymnasium. The existing athletic facility will be renovated, and the two facilities will contain about 41,953 square feet.
Changes to the academic building include a proposed 5,615-square-foot addition to the school’s auditorium that will result in a performance and school-assembly space with a total of 575 seats.
Also planned is a three-story, 3,393-square-foot addition to the facilities-management building located to the rear of the academic building. This addition will provide offices, storage and a loading dock, according to planning documents.
In addition, Hun plans to build a new, 2,500-square-foot student pavilion north of Carter Dormitory that will serve students with a lounge and multi-purpose space, and a new, two-story, 1,109-square-foot freestanding classroom east of the middle school for environmental education.
The Hun proposal also calls for site improvements such as new parking areas and new drives and walkways.
The development plan calls for removing about 280 trees with diameters of 8 inches or more. But Hun plans to plant 165 new shade trees, 121 evergreen trees, 202 flowering and understory trees and more than 1,000 shrubs. The Hun plan also calls for a 10-year reforestation project that will have an educational function as well.
The Planning Board approved the application with a 7-0 vote.
But some members expressed misgivings over granting approval for a plan that has some components getting preliminary and final approval like the new athletic center, for example and others, such as the student pavilion and the auditorium improvements, getting preliminary approval without detailed plans being presented.
"This is something that gives me discomfort," said Planning Board member William Enslin. "We don’t even know what the buildings will look like."
Hun School attorney Richard Goldman explained that the packaged development plan was needed to "lock in" components like anticipated impervious surface and floor-area ratios so the school can prepare its stormwater-management plan.
In other business Thursday night, the Planning Board reviewed a concept plan by Princeton Friends School off Quaker Road to enlarge the existing main school building, construct an annex to the main building, build an all-weather play area, relocate play equipment and provide additional lighting and landscaping.