By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
TRENTON The Historic Sites Council of the Department of Environmental Protection has approved the early abandonment of a transit easement of the Dinky tracks along University Place in Princeton Borough.
The measure was approved with one dissention among the six members of the council with conditions and a recommendation.
The approval is a small step in the approval process Princeton University will need to go through to build its proposed $300 million arts and transit plan that will move the Dinky station 460 feet from its current location.
Yesterday’s abandonment recommendation was in favor of New Jersey Transit, the entity that owns the track. Since the remainder of the project sits on private property and will be paid for with private funds, the Historic Sites Council only has purview over the easement, which is public.
The council also formally noted the pending litigation against Princeton University by individuals who are concerned with preventing the movement of the Dinky station.
Conditions include that before any work begins, the Historic American Building Survey will document the current appearance of the station complex and the site.
The track shall not be removed until the service is terminated and the connection work for the new track has commenced. NJ Transit will not abandon the easement until new transit service is in operation.
The recommendation included the retention of the character-defining features of the buildings, canopies, platforms and track and incorporated into the plan.
The measure is going to the DEP commissioner for final approval of the early abandonment of the easement. The commissioner has 120 days from the date of receipt of the first submission, which should be by early June.
With a full blessing of the DEP, the easement can be abandoned and the train station buildings redeveloped by the university into a café and restaurant when service stops instead of waiting five years for the easement to expire after train service ceases to the current station.
