Hillier 55+ housing changes are encouraging

Sarah Hollister of Princeton
   For those not attending the Princeton Regional Planning Board meeting on Feb. 19, the news about Robert Hillier’s proposal for age-restricted housing on Bunn Drive is encouraging.
   First, Hillier’s concept plan, scaled back from his version of Nov. 2007, is elegant and eco-sensitive.
   Next, it was happily reported that Hillier is willing to donate all of the Lowe tract (other than what he builds on) to a recognized conservation organization like the New Jersey Conservation Foundation — more than 17.5 acres.
   Third, Hillier himself, speaking eagerly of the adjacent Ricciardi tract (14 acres) asked the Planning Board to think about “how to preserve it as green space.”
   If these combined 30-plus acres can be preserved, then Princeton will be the beneficiary of a great swath of “spectacular woods” (Hillier’s phrase) that will help control stormwater runoff — at the same time the township gains age-restricted housing.
   Peter Madison, Planning Board chair, called Hillier’s new proposal a “vast improvement” over the previous proposals.
   Louis Rago, Planning Board counsel, noting that board “has rarely turned conditions down,” explained the board’s traditional concern to evaluate input from various interest groups.
   Both the Princeton Environmental Commission and People for Princeton Ridge recommended that certain conditions be imposed before granting the final site-plan approval.
   All these conditions embody conservation measures based on sound science — for habitat preservation and stormwater control.
   These conditions include: eliminating all above-ground parking, strictly adhering to the New Jersey State residential site improvement standards (to reduce total disturbance footprint), constructing the access road at grade (to reduce tree-root disturbance) and complying with Princeton Township’s new shade tree ordinance (final draft).
   Both groups also recommended eliminating the right-of-way north of Bunn Drive and the Stuart Road extension to the south (again, to leave preserved woods intact); Hillier himself favored eliminating the northerly right-of-way to preserve more woods.
   There’s still work needed to make this development as “green” as possible. Thus, Princetonians who care about environmental sustainability and age-restricted housing should feel that their written comments will be seriously considered by the Planning Board.
Sarah Hollister
Princeton