Princeton Future proposes a community partnership

By Lauren Otis, Staff Writer
   Directors of the council of Princeton Future voted on Sept. 9 to go ahead with a plan to propose what they call a “Princeton Partnership,” a task force whereby all stakeholders in the Princetons could jointly explore mutually beneficial solutions to some of the communities’ ongoing problems.
   Transit, parking, taxation and funding of community projects and infrastructure, as well as other issues could be dealt with through the collective participation of “politicians, employers, property owners, merchants, institutions, and citizens,” according to a Princeton Future document describing the partnership.
   The proposal for a Princeton Partnership will be the subject of a presentation at Princeton Future’s next public meeting on Sept. 20 by attorney Robert Goldsmith, a real estate, redevelopment and land-use specialist with the Woodbridge office of the law firm Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis, said Sheldon Sturges, managing director of Princeton Future.
   Part of the discussion will focus on the benefits of establishing one of several types of community entities, including a public authority, to provide joint investment in transit and shared parking; an improvement district, implementing programs benefiting citizens and the business community; and a community development corporation for the Princeton community, according to Princeton Future.
   Mr. Sturges said that part of the inspiration for a Princeton Partnership was the Morristown Partnership, a successful special improvement authority that is operating in Morristown. He said that it was important for the new Princeton Partnership to be “inclusive, new, not threatening to anybody.”
   The task force would emphasize common sense in addressing Princeton problems, Mr. Sturges said. “What makes sense for traffic, infrastructure, large investments that need to be made,” he said.
   Mr. Sturges noted that creative funding ideas would be on the table. At a time when residential taxes were high, borough and township budgets were tight, and the appropriate level of Princeton University’s financial contribution to its surrounding communities was a hotly debated topic, “we could go and convince politicians that floating bonds that are also backed by the university is an intriguing idea and you really could accomplish big things,” he said.
   ”If we work together this might be a great thing,” Mr. Sturges said.
   Kristin Appelget, director of community and regional affairs at Princeton University, said she briefly attended the Princeton Future council meeting on Tuesday and that it was premature to comment on the Princeton Partnership proposal without a clear idea of what it is. “Of course we’ll be there,” she said of the Sept. 20 presentation.
   Princeton Future is a non-profit which has held public forums seeking community input in addressing problems which affect, or are likely to affect, the Princeton community. Its Web site is www.princetonfuture.org. The next open meeting, where the Princeton Partnership idea will be presented, will be held Saturday, Sept. 20 from 9 a.m. to noon in the Robert Lockwood Solley Theater at the Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center.