Deal makes Valley Road building’s future a cooperative venture

By Nick Norlen, Staff Writer
   The talk about collaborating with the municipalities on the redevelopment of the Princeton Regional School District’s Valley Road property was put into writing by the Board of Education on Tuesday.
   The board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution encouraging both municipal “governing bodies to recommend options of potential uses of the Valley Road property.”
   Part of the resolution also states that the portion of the property facing Witherspoon Street will be demolished.
   According to the resolution, the purpose of the redevelopment is to minimize the district’s “liabilities and operating costs” while meeting the “widely acknowledged community needs that the School Board, Township and Borough leaders have set goals to address.”
   The building, parts of which date back to the early 1900s, houses the district’s administrative offices, Corner House counseling center, Princeton Community Television and the township’s affordable housing office, among other entities.
   School board member Alan Hegedus, who is the chairman of the board’s facilities committee, said district representatives met with municipal officials last week to discuss the potential collaboration.
   He said the district will rehabilitate, rather than demolish, a third of the property, and will retain its athletic fields at the site.
   The plan now is to solicit input from the municipalities about how to make the best use of the property, he said.
   Township Administrator Jim Pascale, who has expressed a desire to address the redevelopment with a “holistic” view that takes into account the community Master Plan, said the municipalities are “delighted” with the board’s decision to include them in the process.
   ”We’re excited at the challenge of working in partnership with the school district and the borough to come up with an exciting new vision,” he said.
   He said municipal staff members will now prepare a concept plan detailing the “best community uses” for the site.
   Though he said the municipalities haven’t conducted a formal study, he said officials “have some thoughts” about the potential uses that could be involved.
   Among them is the possible relocation of Corner House across the street, rather than in the renovated portion of the Valley Road building.
   Mr. Pascale also said the municipalities are in talks with the district about the possibility of relocating its bus parking area to Sewer Operating Committee lands owned jointly by the municipalities, who are also in the early stages of planning the redevelopment of that property.
   Noting that the joint Recreation Department is nearing completion of its own Master Plan, Mr. Pascale said suggestions for recreation uses at the Valley Road site have ranged from a senior center to an indoor recreation facility.
   Whatever the final configuration, Mr. Pascale said all of the stakeholders will be involved in the process.
   ”The Valley Road building site is the geographic center of the Princetons,” he said. “As usual in Princeton, there are many more uses than there would be available land. So we’ll have to work that all out.”