Institute’s housing plan remains firm

Site near historic battlefield still a point of contention

By: Nick Norlen
   The Institute for Advanced Study plans to proceed with the construction of faculty housing near Battlefield State Park, but detailed plans aren’t expected to be completed for "several months," a spokeswoman said Monday.
   The think tank’s proposal includes building 15 homes on eight acres that it owns near the historic site, which played host to the 1777 Battle of Princeton.
   According to Senior Public Affairs Officer Christine Ferrara, the concept to build on the private land is not new — it started with the institute’s donation of 32 acres to the state, which increased the size of the battlefield by 60 percent, she said.
   And while statements released by the institute have indicated that it plans to relinquish development rights to conserve the land adjacent to the faculty housing when it’s built, members of the Princeton Battlefield Society, a nonprofit group dedicated to the battlefield’s preservation, have voiced opposition to the plan.
   They have said the location of the project — not the housing itself — is the issue.
   However, Ms. Ferrara said by e-mail Monday that "the land is not immediately on or adjacent to the Princeton Battlefield State Park, and a 200-foot buffer and an existing row of dense hedges will separate the homes from the Battlefield’s border."
   That buffer was widened from 100 to 200 feet after a concept plan was first presented to the Regional Planning Board of Princeton in 2003.
   But despite the concession, the society has continued attempts to negotiate with the institute, and even enlisted the aid of Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton).
   Although Mr. Gusciora has acknowledged the institute’s role in preserving the site, he has said he hopes an alternative can be successfully offered.
   Regional Planning Board Coordinator Ilene Cutroneo said no plans have yet been filed with the board, and that no official actions have taken place since the concept plan was first presented.