Move opposed by university, Chamber of Commerce.
By: Jennifer Potash
For downtown Princeton Borough to remain competitive with nearby regional malls and other niche shopping areas, the best defense is creation of a special improvement district, according to consultants retained by Princeton Future.
In July, Princeton Future’s Community Based Retail Neighborhood Initiative, a group of residents, merchants and government officials that strategize ways to keep a vital downtown, brought in consultants to evaluate the downtown and offer suggestions for the various management organizations, such as a special improvement district, or SID.
The CBRNI group discussed the report at a meeting Friday.
Under the SID concept, receipts from a special tax on downtown businesses within the district pay for marketing, beautification and redevelopment projects. To create a SID, the local governing body must adopt an ordinance.
While some organizations such as the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce and Princeton University have opposed a SID, no one dismissed the idea out of hand at Friday’s meeting.
Raoul Momo, a partner in Terra Momo, which has several restaurants in downtown Princeton, said he believes a SID is the downtown’s only option.
"We need a SID," he said. "It is the only entity which has the power to get what needs to get done done."
The job of the CBRNI is to sway the property owners to support a SID, he said.
A subcommittee will be formed to gather more detailed information and evaluate a SID for downtown Princeton. Sheldon Sturges, co-chairman of Princeton Future, said residents, merchants and property owners are welcome to serve on the committee.
Princeton Borough will offer any assistance the subcommittee needs, such as lists of property owners and tax information, said Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi. But the municipality is unlikely to take the lead on a SID ordinance until there is a clear consensus from the downtown property owners and merchants, he said.
"The property owners are the ones who will decide this and they want to know what will it cost, what will it mean for my building and what am I going to get in return," Mr. Bruschi said.
The evaluation was conducted by Downtown New Jersey, a nonprofit organization comprising planners, developers and commercial district managers that helps preserve and improve New Jersey’s downtown areas.
Before proceeding with a SID or other downtown management mechanism, the various stakeholders merchants, property owners, local government and others need a unified vision, according to the Downtown New Jersey report.
"It seems that everyone has an opinion, but nobody is in charge," the Downtown New Jersey report said. "This is not new, and our best guess is unless decisive action is taken, these random actions will continue to lead nowhere."
The report also cautions that creating a downtown Princeton brand that seeks to attract a regional base while also maintaining a small-town feel attractive to the residents could prove "a delicate balance."
Anyone interested in serving on the SID subcommittee should contact Mr. Sturges at (609) 921-6100.