Long-running effort to craft regulations dates back to 2004
By: Marjorie Censer
The Princeton Borough Council will again take up the controversial "McMansion" ordinance, intended to limit residential home sizes, at its meeting tonight.
The proposed ordinance, which was originally introduced in May 2004, was most recently tabled in October 2005 when council members said they wanted to hear more information from residents.
The ordinance up for introduction tonight has been changed based on the council’s direction at the October meeting. It would still limit the size of houses on the basis of floor-to-area ratios or how much of the lot is covered by the house but remove a total square-footage cap.
At present, single-family homes in the borough can reach anywhere from 5,400 square feet to 15,000 square feet, depending on which of four residential zones the home is located in. Under the relaxed ordinance introduced in October, home sizes were allowed to range from 3,000 to 8,000 square feet, and slightly more for those with oversized lots.
The newest version removes the square-footage cap entirely, but retains regulations intended to keep taller homes farther from neighboring property.
The proposed ordinance, because of its reliance on FAR, allows significant variation based on lot size and zone. For instance, a homeowner in the R-1 zone with an oversized 45,000-square-foot lot could build an 11,250-square-foot home, while a homeowner in the R-4 zone with a more standard 7,000-square-foot lot could build a 2,800-square-foot home.
A proportionality clause in the ordinance also provides for homeowners with undersized lots, allowing for an adjusted and slightly larger FAR.
Some council members said in October that they were ready to introduce the ordinance but, under pressure from the public, they agreed to table it. Borough residents at the meeting said they were concerned that the ordinance would decrease the value of homes and, in turn, borough tax revenue.
They also said more residents may be burdened by the process required to obtain variances.
If introduced, the ordinance would receive a public hearing at the April 4 council meeting. If approved, it would then be forwarded to the Regional Planning Board of Princeton for review.
In other business tonight, the council is expected to introduce an ordinance that would increase the maximum fine for municipal ordinance violations.
The violation ordinance would adjust the maximum fine from $1,000 to $2,000, the level set by state law at the end of 2005. The ordinance would include a special provision for housing violations that gives offenders 30 days to fix the problem and a judicial hearing before a fine is imposed, also in accordance with new state law.