PRINCETON: Opposition to college bill at forum

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
   Borough officials and their allies on Tuesday warned about the dire impacts a state Assembly bill would have by exempting private colleges from going before local planning and zoning boards.
   At a community forum during the Borough Council meeting, they sought to increase opposition to defeat the measure. The legislation, critics fear, could open the door to other entities seeking the same privilege, leading to a “slippery slope,” in the words of Borough Council President Barbara Trelstad.
   Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, warned of increased traffic, pollution and flooding if colleges have the right to build without going through a local review process.
   ”You may lose control of your town,” he said.
   The right to build would not be completely unfettered, however. State and federal regulations still would have to be followed, Mr. Tittel said.
   Proponents of the bill said their aim is to put private colleges on the same footing as their public counterparts in the state. Public universities are exempt, thanks to a 1972 state Supreme Court decision involving Rutgers University and Piscataway.
   Princeton University supports the bill. A representative of the school was not at the meeting.
   ”We don’t accept the argument that it’s a parity bill,” said Michael F. Cerra, a senior legislative analyst with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities.
   He said private colleges would be given the same privileges as the public colleges but without the same requirements when it comes to going through public bidding or paying prevailing wage.
   Assistant Borough Attorney Henry T. Chou said the measure would create a “huge” exemption for a class of private property owners. He said the state Bar Association’s land use section is opposed to the bill.
   Two Trenton lawmakers at the forum voiced their opposition to the bill, now before the Assembly’s Higher Education Committee.
   Assemblyman Jack M. Ciattarelli (R-16), who represents the borough in the Legislature, said he thought the bill would be defeated by a “slim margin.” But fellow Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, (D-15), who is also the borough’s municipal prosecutor, said he thought the measure was “wired” to pass.
   The Christie administration has said the governor, a member of Princeton University’s board of trustees whose oldest son attends the school, does not comment on pending legislation.
   The Senate version of the bill passed 26-8 in June. It would cover 14 institutions in 16 different communities.
   The borough, where Princeton University owns 50 percent of the land, has joined other similarly impacted college towns to defeat the bill.
   A number of residents in the audience spoke against the bill.
   Princeton mayoral candidates Democrat Liz Lempert and Republican Richard Woodbridge, both with spouses who work for Princeton University, attended the meeting and have said they oppose the bill. Mr. Woodbridge, also a graduate of the university, voiced his opposition during the public comment portion of the meeting.