Planned for former West Coast Video site
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton, the college town that conjures images of Ivy League students, Albert Einstein and northeastern affluence, could be the next place to find a late-night Slurpee or Big Gulp.
Convenience store giant 7-Eleven wants to move onto Nassau Street, into the former West Coast Video location, according to plans filed with the town July 1. The store would be one of two tenants occupying a vacant building, documents showed. The other tenant still needs to be determined, the plans said.
A spokeswoman for the Dallas-based company could not be reached for comment. According to the company website, there are nearly 53,000 7-Elevens in 16 countries.
The property, consisting of two lots spanning 29,319 square feet, is owned by Viking Inc. 7-Eleven would be a tenant.
A hearing before the municipal Planning Board has not been scheduled. Planning Board member Gail Ullman would have to recuse herself from the case because she lives within 200 feet of the property.
In that part of Nassau Street, the store would be located next door to the site of a future bank and apartments that the Planning Board approved in June.
"It’s a business that’s permitted within the zoning. And other than that, we don’t have any other comment," said Linda Fahmie, the developer of the next door property, when asked about 7-Eleven.
The 7-Eleven proposal comes even as the town council is considering restricting the hours of operation for businesses that border residential parts of town. The council is tentatively scheduled to introduce the ordinance at it meeting July 14. Mayor Liz Lempert said Thursday that the measure was not aimed at 7-Eleven.
"It would impact across the whole entire town, especially in those areas when you have businesses up against residences," she said. "There’s been other tensions in the past, not just in that neighborhood."
At the moment, there is no municipal restriction on when a store has to close. Officials want to match the hours of what the town has today.
"Most of the closing times of the businesses that stay open late tend to be between midnight and 2 a.m.," she said. Hoagie Haven, the sandwich shop on the end of Nassau Street where 7-Eleven wants to go, is open until 2 a.m.
Councilwoman Jo S. Butler said Thursday that she has not seen a draft of the ordinance, one that municipal staff is working on. But she said she sensed that other council members generally supported the idea when they discussed it last month during a work session.
"My main concern is that we are preserving the residential character of our neighborhoods," Mayor Lempert said.
She deflected questions when asked if a 7-Eleven might not fit the town’s image.
"We want the businesses who come into town to fit well into the character of Princeton and also to be successful," she said.
Ms. Butler said the town has had chain businesses before. The local Wawa on University Place enjoys wide popularity.
Princeton also has been a leader in promoting health-conscious policies, such as forbidding smoking in public parks. Asked if the town might try a ban on the Big Gulp or super sized drinks, Mayor Lempert laughed that suggestion off.
She said it was not on the "priority list this year."