PRINCETON: Report is issued by Princeton Future

By Lauren Otis, Staff Writer
   Princeton Future, a non-profit organization seeking solutions to problems in Princeton Borough and Township which have been identified in a series of public discussions, has issued a “call to action” to the mayors and members of the governing bodies of both municipalities to support some of its policy objectives.
   The group also released a February report on the status of its policy work which included the discussions held by “The Princeton Partnership, a task force of community organizations, institutions, business and government on community challenges. The discussions covered transportation, parking, structures for the development and redevelopment of the central business district in downtown Princeton as well as other neighborhoods, and how Princeton University’s planned Arts and Transit neighborhood will fit in with the rest of the community’s interests.
   ”Following a series of public meetings focusing on the challenges facing the community in providing adequate housing, improving mobility and promoting a thriving downtown, a key conclusion was reached: The problem is primarily structural,” the report states. It proposes considering public authorities, improvement districts, a community development corporation, or a consolidated Princeton as structures to resolve the identified community challenges.
   In a March 3 letter copied to the Packet, Princeton Future Chair Robert Geddes issued the organization’s call to action to area politicians.
   According to the mailing, Princeton Future is asking for municipal support of the Princeton Partnership — operating as either a non-profit, special improvement district, or community economic development corporation — to provide four things:
   • ”A mechanism for planning the downtown district as an element of the community master plan.
   • ”A mechanism for improving the economy of the downtown, the borough and the township.
   • ”A mechanism for improving community transportation and parking systems.
   • ”A mechanism for achieving affordable housing for the workforce, families and seniors of the community.”