Council to tackle hospital site zoning tonight

Three ordinances set for introduction

By: Courtney Gross
   The Princeton Borough Council will introduce three ordinances tonight that could solidify the fate of properties currently occupied by the University Medical Center at Princeton — buildings that could be designated areas for retail and residential use when the hospital’s anticipated move to Plainsboro occurs, possibly by 2010.
   The ordinances address the medical center’s properties on Witherspoon Street and Franklin Avenue, including changes that could occur to the hospital’s seven-story building.
   When the rezoning was last discussed in July, the governing body focused its attention on the height of the seven-story building and how its appearance could be softened and integrated into the community.
   By incorporating varying facades, one ordinance states, mixed-use development could transition more easily into the surrounding area — characterized by buildings of two or three stories.
   Councilman David Goldfarb, who expressed concern over the current building’s height and its possible intrusion in the community during the July discussion, said the proposed ordinances seem to address a fair balance between the community and the hospital. A key issue, he added, is to minimize the impact on residents in the area.
   "The clear intention, as the ordinance is now drafted, is that the building that is there now will be allowed to remain," Mr. Goldfarb pointed out.
   The first of three ordinances designates the site — currently for medical use alone — as a residential, medical or nonresidential area. According to the proposed ordinance, residential uses would include one-, two- and multiple-family dwellings as well as age-restricted housing.
   The current zoning permitting the hospital, according to the ordinance, would remain intact until the medical center completes its relocation.
   A maximum of 280 residential units would be permitted on the property, the ordinance states, and approximately 6 percent, or 26,000 square feet, could be used for retail or office space. This nonresidential development will not extend for more than 180 feet along Witherspoon Street, must be on the first floor and frontage will not be permitted on Franklin Avenue.
   Nonresidential uses, the ordinance states, could include medical uses, office space, restaurants, banks or other retail services and stores.
   The ordinance states that at least some of the parking spaces within the garage should be designated for the 5.6-acre development area.
   The second ordinance set for introduction tonight addresses the appearance of existing buildings and possible new structures that could be built once the hospital moves.
   The ordinance states all new construction is limited to five stories and must be integrated into the existing community. Within the site, the second ordinance states, a "new neighborhood street" through the site is "envisioned" and that street must include sidewalks.
   Open space — at least 20 percent will be allocated within the site — must also connect public walkways and embrace the larger area’s current character, according to the ordinance.
   Although limitations have been imposed on the current site, "these criteria and standards are intended to provide a framework within which the designer of the site development is free to exercise creativity, invention and innovation," the proposed ordinance states.
   The final ordinance slated for introduction would create a new residential zone at the surface parking lot on Franklin Avenue. The area could encompass single- or multiple-family homes and 20 percent — four to six dwellings — would be set aside for affordable housing.
   The zoning would also permit residents to park in the existing garage.
   The proposed zoning is not the only issue that has surfaced in regard to the hospital’s move, Mr. Goldfarb said. But, he added, it is important to look at the elements independently.
   "We’ve been through a long process, and the council itself has discussed this for the third time," he added.