Governing body continues review of new zoning requirements for site to be vacated by medical center
By: Kara Fitzpatrick
The Princeton Borough Council on Tuesday weighed in on housing, aesthetics and especially retail uses while considering the future zoning of the 12-acre University Medical Center at Princeton site, which the hospital plans to vacate upon relocation to Plainsboro.
Currently, only medical uses are permitted on the property.
Using guidelines offered during the three-hour session which included several comments from the public Princeton Planning Director Lee Solow said he hopes to present a draft of an ordinance that would amend the site’s zoning during a June council meeting. Mr. Solow said the draft would be a "working document" and would most likely not be introduced when considered next month.
In January, the Regional Planning Board of Princeton adopted a number of changes to the community Master Plan that pave the way for the hospital site to consist of high-density mixed-use development, made up primarily of residential units.
This week, Borough Council members continued a discussion that began during a February council meeting that addressed how best to utilize the site.
While the discussion covered many subjects, the controversial topic of whether to incorporate a clinic into the plans was not addressed at the request of Council President Peggy Karcher, who moderated the discussion after Mayor Mildred Trotman recused herself because of family ties to the hospital. Ms. Karcher asked that a detailed discussion targeting the clinic be conducted after a task force that is considering the clinic’s necessity presents its findings.
The amount of retail use that should be allowed along the hospital block on Witherspoon Street was considered at length.
Councilwoman Wendy Benchley said retail space should be minimized in order to avoid competition with existing stores and to preserve the residential feel of the neighborhood. "We want to have the retail stores that exist, thrive," Ms. Benchley said. "We don’t want this area competing with downtown."
Some residents sided with Ms. Benchley.
"We don’t shop at these high-price stores, so we don’t need more of them," resident Minnie Craig said. "To me, the most important thing is housing."
But some council members disagreed, saying that additional stores would be the glue that would hold the new development together.
As fuel prices rise, residents are going to want shops nearby, Councilwoman Barbara Trelstad said. "Let’s allow the possibility. There are going to be more people to shop in these shops and we need to provide for them," she said.
Councilman Roger Martindell also spoke in favor of added stores. "Here is one of the biggest properties in Princeton Borough that we’re ever going to see developed," he said. "Why wouldn’t we promote greater retail development?"
Councilman David Goldfarb said additional stores would enhance the makeup of the neighborhood. "One of the chief benefits of retail, aside from providing goods and services, is to provide a much more attractive streetscape," he said.
Resident Mary Ellen Marino agreed with Mr. Goldfarb. "You have to work at having a place that is walkable and that is achieved by having some place to walk to," she said.
In addition, the council considered whether the zoning should include a senior housing obligation.
Ms. Benchley was in favor of such a stipulation. "This is a beautiful spot for a senior development," she said. "I would love it if the Borough Council made a certain number a requirement."
Her colleagues seemed to differ saying that all residents should be eligible to live in the units. Because of the feedback, Mr. Solow said the zoning-amending ordinance will not likely include mandatory senior housing units.
The council also aired thoughts about the reuse of the existing buildings.
According to Mr. Solow, the Planning Board "felt that if the existing buildings could be reused, it made sense from a planning and environmental point to allow that to occur."
Some council members agreed with the Planning Board.
"Our resources are rapidly diminishing and we ought to reuse if we can," Ms. Trelstad said.
But Mr. Goldfarb said the height of the buildings would be a detriment to future reuse. "This is an opportunity to restore that site to what everybody in Princeton expects, and we should not let that opportunity pass," he said.
But architect J. Robert Hillier, who worked with the hospital on conceptual mixed-use redevelopment plans, said the existing buildings are worth about $100 per square foot and their impact could be scaled down through the use of additional vegetation as well as a pergola and other architectural features.