By Nick Norlen, Staff Writer
Architect and developer J. Robert Hillier’s proposed condominium project on Greenview Avenue requires variances, but won’t need one for its proposed age limit: 55 and over.
Thursday’s Princeton Borough Zoning Board hearing on the project was canceled that day because board attorney William Sutphin was not satisfied with the public notice issued by Mr. Hillier’s team, Zoning Officer Derek Bridger said Monday.
”It was just not as clear as we thought it should be,” said Mr. Bridger, who noted that the hearing will likely be rescheduled for some time in April.
Residents near the proposed development will be notified upon the hearing’s rescheduling, according to the zoning office.
Whenever it is, the session will likely be attended by the several Greenview residents who have voiced opposition to the plan, which they have said is contrary to the character of the neighborhood that abuts Princeton Cemetery.
Other residents have said they welcome the change, which they view as an improvement and a potential boost to their property values.
The application, made by Mr. Hillier’s personal development company, calls for replacing four lots used for rental housing with a three-story condominium containing 11 market-rate and three affordable units.
The variances required by the project include those for increasing the floor-to-area ratio from 45 percent to 90 percent, increasing the coverage area from 30 percent to 38 percent, and increasing the number of units per structure from three to 14.
In a letter filed with his original application in July, Mr. Hillier says his plan will address the perceived need for downtown housing in which seniors can downsize.
Mr. Bridger said Monday that no variance will be needed for the proposed 55-and-over limit because the borough does not “have any age requirements in our zones.”
Recently, the Princeton Township Committee amended its Bunn Drive Senior Housing Overlay zone, among other ways, to change its age requirement from 62 and over to 55 and over to allow residents of that age to inhabit developments built on the site.
The change was first requested by Mr. Hillier in August when he proposed a senior housing project on the former site of a project abandoned K. Hovnanian on the Princeton Ridge.
He said after the zoning change that he plans to move forward with a formal application in the next few months.
Though Mr. Hillier’s plan to move forward with the project was contingent on the zoning change, many residents protested his plan to develop the ridge, which they said is a move inconsistent with the Community Master Plan.
Similarly, residents in the borough objected to the Greenview plan well before a formal application was filed. Though Mr. Hillier held meetings with the site’s neighbors to inform them of the plan and garner suggestions — some of which he said he implemented — many residents announced they would oppose the plan during the formal process no matter what.
Mr. Bridger has noted that the application is bifurcated, meaning Mr. Hillier will apply for a site plan only if he is granted the needed use variances.
