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Nassau Inn’s expansion goes back to square one

By Nick Norlen, Staff Writer
   Eight years to the month after it was initially slated to be complete, the proposed expansion of the Nassau Inn on Palmer Square will again be heard by the Regional Planning Board of Princeton in its most recent version Thursday.
   But because extensions on prior approvals have expired, the hotel’s appearance before the board will mark the beginning of a whole new planning process.
   The newest proposal, which will simply be reviewed by the Planning Board in its concept form, will include elements of the expansion plan first approved by the board in September 1998 — including the construction of a six-story building on Hulfish Street that will create approximately 40 new guest rooms.
   According to an Oct. 29 summary of the proposal compiled by Spiezle Architectural Group, a consultant for the inn, such improvements would take place in phases over three years.
   ”It has been determined that updated assembly space, outdoor dining spaces and more comfortable guest rooms are an absolute priority for the Inn in order to continue providing for the Princeton area’s hotel, dining, meeting and social needs,” the summary states, mirroring statements made when the hotel was first granted expansion in the late 1990s.
   Although the inn was criticized prior to the initial approval for proposing changes that some said were not consistent with the inn and the overall “look” of Palmer Square, this “rejuvenation initiative,” the document says, would provide the needed changes “while remaining sensitive to the historic fabric and surrounding neighbors within Princeton Borough and maintaining the small ‘Inn’ status.”
   According to a Nov. 26 memo from Regional Planning Director Lee Solow, Borough Engineer Chris Budzinski and Borough Zoning Officer Derek Bridger, the inn received site plan approval in 1998 to construct the six-story addition along Hulfish Street, including ground floor retail, expansion of the inn’s ballroom, meeting space and four floors of new guests rooms that would produce 40 new rooms.
   Along with the guest rooms, the six-story building would include two street-level retail stores and a larger ballroom above the retail stores adjacent to the existing ballroom.
   While those proposed changes remain, other expansions have been added, and the municipal officials note in the memo that the hotel’s plan will need different variances.
   ”If approved, this site plan will amend the overall planned development in terms of parking and open space. It is staff’s opinion that the proposed site plan is substantially different from the 1998 approval and requires a new site plan application,” the memo says.
   Proposed changes cited in a recent document provided to the planning office by the inn’s attorneys include the demolition and reconstruction of the current Lindt Chocolate retail space along Palmer Square West, two new floors above the retail area for meeting rooms and storage space, and a new exterior entry, waiting area and outdoor dining space for the Yankee Doodle Tap Room restaurant.
   Moreover, the hotel plans to reduce the number of rooms in its Colonial Wing from 84 to 56 in order to build expanded rooms.
   The Nov. 26 municipal memo notes that variances for building height, number of stories and parking were granted at the time of the approval, but states that opportunities for extension of the approvals and variances have since lapsed because construction permits were never acquired.
   This time, bulk variances would be required for a minor increase in building height, a request for an additional story and the requirement for 81 new parking spaces, the document says, noting that no new parking spaces are proposed in the current site plan.
   In the past, inn representatives successfully argued that most new patrons would arrive to the hotel via taxi or limousine, rather than in their own vehicles.
   Still, the municipal memo — which notes that there are 1,008 garage spaces currently available for Palmer Square — says the applicant should provide more information on the parking situation.
   According to the memo, the only zoning change that affects the proposed development is the inclusion of a new affordable housing requirement.
   Officials said in the memo that they have met with representatives from the inn, and that an affordable housing plan will be ready in time for the inn’s formal application.
   Since the project was approved, two extension periods have lapsed.
   An economic recession and a struggling hospitality industry have been blamed for some of the delays.
   Though concerns were raised during the approval process that the inn’s expansion would coincide with the construction of the Princeton Public Library and the municipal garage, those projects have since been completed.
   A hearing on the concept plan scheduled for Dec. 6 was postponed to Dec. 13 because the board attorney who will preside over the hearing was unable to attend.
   Neither the inn’s management nor its attorney could be reached for comment Monday.