New groundbreaking set for Elm Court II project

Ceremony, now set for Dec. 19, was delayed because of hurricane-related increases in the cost of materials for the 68-unit project

By: Marjorie Censer
   The groundbreaking for the Elm Court II project — postponed because of increased building costs — has been rescheduled for Dec. 19.
   Princeton Community Housing closed on the long-delayed project Wednesday after receiving roughly $350,000 in additional funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to compensate for increased costs of building materials and labor caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
   The project is an expansion of Elm Court, the apartment building off Elm Road that houses low- and moderate-income elderly and disabled Princeton residents. The original development of 88 units was built in 1985; the new building will add 68 units.
   HUD — which is providing the bulk of the project’s nearly $11 million funding — finalized the agreement to pay almost $8.6 million at the Wednesday closing, said Sandra Persichetti Rothe, executive director of PCH.
   Though the groundbreaking won’t occur for more than two weeks, Sheila Berkelhammer, president of the PCH board of trustees, said she hopes to see the contractors on site immediately.
   "It’s absolutely ready to roll," Ms. Berkelhammer said.
   Despite the delay caused by the national shortage of building materials, Ms. Rothe said the process of receiving amendment funding to cover the additional costs went smoothly.
   "It was a matter of the paper processing," she said. "I must say they did it very quickly."
   The groundbreaking celebration will serve as an opportunity for PCH to thank those who have helped the project. Ms. Berkelhammer said she hopes U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12) will attend, and many local officials are also expected to come.
   Elm Court II has been in the works for nearly nine years. Princeton resident Steve Cohen will serve as architect for the project, which will be constructed by Costanza Builders of Cherry Hill. Construction is expected to be completed in 2007.
   First proposed in 1998, the project was slowed by a lawsuit filed by the Mountain Brook Association, a group of nearby homeowners, against Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, PCH and the Regional Planning Board of Princeton. The parties settled in 2001, reducing the number of housing units from 74 to 68 and prohibiting additional expansion.
   In 2003, the Princetons resolved a related issue regarding the use of Green Acres lands raised by some opponents of Elm Court II, including the Sierra Club of New Jersey.