Linda Sipprelle of Princeton
With reference to the Princeton Community Housing affordable housing report (The Princeton Packet, Aug. 18), a “Homes for Everyone” Bus Tour took place on May 28 focusing on affordable housing across Mercer Country. Among the county-wide participants were elected officials, planning, zoning, and affordable housing board members. Sponsors of the tour were the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness, HomeFront, Princeton Community Housing, Project Freedom and the Greater Mercer Chamber of Commerce.
Herb Levine of the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness noted that municipalities could purchase foreclosed dwellings and turn them over to nonprofit groups which could used them to house homeless families. Matthew Lawson, from the Mercer County Planning Division, explained the value of transit villages in developing affordable housing. Transit villages are developments planned around mass transit stops, such as train stations or bus routes. Architect Richard Carroll added that transit villages are not a new concept as many early towns were built on rail lines.
Sites visited included Elm Court and the Harriet Bryan House in Princeton which are home to low-income and very low-income senior citizens, according to Sandra Persichetti, executive director of Princeton Community Housing. Many of the units’ residents had worked at Princeton University or in restaurants and the retail industry. Participants on the bus tour saw the Project Freedom development in Robbinsville Township which was built for people with special needs and Pennrose Properties’ McCorristin Square which is a senior housing development in Hamilton Township. Participants also viewed houses developed by Martin House/Better Community Housing of Trenton which sold for $21,000 to families that have 11 years to pay off their no-interest loans.
Michele Siekerka, executive director of the Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, said that businesses can’t prosper unless their employees have affordable places to live.
The affordable housing tour can be seen on the Internet at You Tube by typing in “homes for everyone bus tour” on yahoo.com.
Linda Sipprelle
Princeton
