By Philip Sean Curran, Lea Kahn and Erica Chayes Wida, Staff Writers
AvalonBay opens Princeton apartments
Developer AvalonBay welcomed the first tenants in 2016 into its residential development at the former hospital site on Witherspoon Street.
In April, a company executive went before area business leaders to discuss the project and say the first apartments would be ready later in the year.
“We want to be in Princeton. This is a unique opportunity for us,” AvalonBay senior vice president Ronald S. Ladell said in remarks to the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. “And I feel very, very proud that we’re going to have an Avalon Princeton community for decades to come.”
In all, the redevelopment called for 280 units in five buildings; 56 of the units are set aside as affordable or below market rate.
Later in the year, the company announced that it was shooting for an Aug.19 opening to welcome the first residents to begin moving in.
Yet there was lingering animosity between the municipality and AvalonBay, two sides that have found themselves in court over the years. It was such that Mayor Liz Lempert got snubbed when the developer had a grand opening ceremony in December. While dignitaries including state Sen. Kip Bateman (R-16) and others got invited, she was not one of them. Normally, she gets invited to cut the ribbon at businesses’ grand openings.
“Maybe they didn’t trust me with a pair of scissors,” she told reporters in making light of the situation.
Also in December, it was disclosed that AvalonBay is contesting around $100,000 the town spent on a consultant the municipality hired to monitor the project and paid with AvalonBay’s money. The funds came out of escrow accounts AvalonBay set up with the town.
AvalonBay told the town that it wants those accounts “immediately replenished” with $100,233. The company filed an appeal with the Mercer County Construction Board of Appeals to challenge seven invoices submitted by the town’s consultants.
“Rather than trying to justify these expenses, after Princeton has unconscionably withdrawn monies from AvalonBay’s escrow account, what should be occurring is an internal review as to how and why any Princeton employee would allow this type of work to continue for years without any appropriate oversight and review knowing that Princeton taxpayers would be on the hook for these unnecessary and inappropriate charges,” Mr. Ladell wrote to town administrator Marc D. Dashield in December.
For his part, Mr. Dashield said in December that the dispute dealt with what is charged to the escrow accounts for “engineering inspections,” but he did not want to elaborate given that the matter deals with “potential” litigation.
Witherspoon-Jackson named historic district
In 2016, the historically black Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood received what many saw was an overdue recognition by becoming the latest section of town to be designated a historic district.
The Princeton Council voted in April to take that step, one that added protections to roughly 400 properties located within the boundaries of an area spanning parts of Bayard Lane, Witherspoon Street and down to Robeson Place.
Major exterior building alterations visible from the street or proposed demolitions would need to be reviewed by the local Historic Preservation Commission; the town allows routine maintenance and minor renovations with an administrative waiver.
“If you want to change something that’s visible from the street, then we would determine if it’s a substantial change or if it could be heard administratively,” said Commission chairwoman Julie Capozzoli at the council meeting on the night the district was created.
Witherspoon Jackson became the 20th historic district in Princeton with the unanimous vote by council.
The new regulations governing the area came at a time when the neighborhood, once home to blacks, Irish and Italians and more recently immigrants from Central America, has come under pressure from developers buying up properties, demolishing homes and building new ones in their place.
“So this designation is not only integral in preserving the neighborhood but restoring the neighborhood to the vibrancy it once knew,” former borough Mayor and Witherspoon-Jackson resident Yina Moore told the council the night of the vote creating the district.
Yet for advocates of the measure, recognizing the neighborhood offered the community a chance to recall how Witherspoon-Jackson once was where blacks in Princeton were relegated to live.
“These were our proud but segregated ancestors, who also contributed to the Princeton we all love and cherish,” said former Township Mayor Jim Floyd in February at one of the public meetings where the issue was discussed.
“This neighborhood was a result of years of social, economic and educational disparity that was brought about by discrimination and segregation in Princeton,” Ms. Capozzoli said at that same council meeting that Mr. Floyd had attended.
Toward the end of the year, Mayor Liz Lempert reflected on the accomplishment and felt it never would have happened pre-consolidation of the borough and the township.
“I think this was a great example that showed that the old township-borough line was dividing not just the town into two governments but was dividing many of our neighborhoods in a way that prevented them from advocating for themselves,” she told reporters in December. “I don’t think that the historic designation would have ever happened prior to consolidation, because not only did you have two governments but you had two historic commissions and you had two separate historic designation ordinances. So just the bureaucratic overhead was so complicated.”
Professor’s arrest causes furor on social media
It began with a traffic stop for speeding on Mercer Road and morphed into a question of race and policing, for a time putting Princeton and its police department in an unwelcome spotlight.
The case involving Imani Perry, a black professor at Princeton University, began when a white police officer stopped her for going too fast, as much as 67 mph in a 45 mph zone, on Feb.6. A check by police found she had a warrant for her arrest for two unpaid parking tickets.
Taken to police headquarters, she was processed and released, but she later went on social media to complain about the way she treated, in that she was patted down by a male officer and handcuffed to a table while police booked her.
“I cannot ever say definitively that this specific mistreatment was a result of race. But I can say that what I experienced was far more likely because my skin is a deep brown, my nose is round and my hair is coily,” she wrote on Facebook.
Police disagreed. They contended that the officer had followed policy and done nothing wrong.
A subsequent investigation of the incident by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Officer — done at the request of Chief Nicholas K. Sutter — vindicated the officer.
Ms. Perry ultimately reached a plea deal with the municipal prosecutor and paid a fine. But it was not the last word on the matter.
In November, Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber had his annual meeting with Mayor Li Lempert and the Princeton Council. Officials were ready for him, and a meeting that otherwise covered routine matters reopened old wounds.
Part of the backstory was that Mr. Eisgruber had said in February that he shared the concern others had felt about the way Ms. Perry was treated by police. He had also called Mayor Liz Lempert the weekend of the incident — on Super Bowl Sunday — to express the university’s hope that the matter would be investigated.
“I think it was important, under the circumstances that we faced, and that our students were thinking about as they looked at what was happening to a professor who was generally beloved by them, for me to recognize the experience that she went through and the experiences that some of those students had had in their communities and we have had on our campus,” Mr. Eisgruber said at the November meeting with the council.
His answer did not please the governing body.
“She was speeding and potentially endangering the life of people who are in that neighborhood who are walking,” Mayor Lempert said. “And that’s why she was pulled over.”
Charter school files to add more students
On Dec. 1, the Princeton Charter School filed a petition to expand its student population as well as implement a lottery admission system to provide an advantage to needier students.
But the school’s proposal has met with strong opposition from Princeton Public School officials on the grounds that funding the PCS expansion will cost the district too much.
The PCS board has asked the state Department of Education to implement a weighted lottery that would give a two-to-one advantage for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. This effort to increase access and equity was coupled with a request to expand grades K-2 from one class of 19, 21 and 22 students, respectively, to two.
Operating on tax revenue as well as some donations, the school currently is authorized to educate 348 children whose attendance is determined by a random lottery every winter. Younger siblings of selected students are given a seat automatically, keeping families together.
Head of School Larry Patton and Board of Trustees President Paul Josephson stated the expansion decision came as a result of a “perfect storm” of events. As PCS began discussing a weighted lottery to make the school more attractive to lower income families, Princeton Public Schools Superintendent Steve Cochrane announced at the August board meeting that the projected number of new students, particularly at the elementary level, was going to be much higher than expected.
“We asked ourselves, ‘What steps can we reasonably take in this school to keep it true to our mission and operating successfully while taking a meaningful number of students off the district’s hands to help them solve the enrollment problem?’ We want to be part of the solution … We want to relieve the pressure,” Mr. Josephson said.
Despite Princeton Charter’s perspective on offering a helping hand, Princeton Pubic Schools officials felt blindsided by the proposal — having been notified on Nov. 29 — and were adamant the expansion would not alleviate population strain, but only hurt the PPS infrastructure as it exists today.
At the Board of Education meeting Dec. 13, which was livelier than most with parents, faculty and community members present, Superintendent Cochrane said he is a staunch opponent of the proposal, not out of “ill will,” but for the resources that will be compromised should more funding need to be allocated to PCS.
Among the dispute between Princeton Charter and Princeton Public Schools, are the conflicting per-pupil costs as stated by each school.
In an interview Dec. 6, Mr. Josephson had said, “We think we can educate children at a lower cost than the district — $14,000 to $15,000 versus approximately $24,000.”
At the board meeting, board President Andrea Spalla brought a local expert forward to clarify much of the information. Julia Sass Rubin’s research examines the intersection of education policy, community development and social justice. Last fall, she authored a report on New Jersey Charter School funding and two years ago, she co-authored a report on New Jersey Charter School demographics.
After explaining the state formula and utilizing the most up-to-date data for weighted per-pupil expenses, she found the schools cost nearly the same: $17,826 at PPS and $17,057 at PCS.
At present, there has been no news as to whether the charter school’s proposal was accepted by the state DOE. The school board, in the meantime, is creating an ad hoc committee to address Princeton Charter’s proposal and come up with ideas moving forward. It will consist of four to eight community members, plus four board members.
Bridge work halted by governor
The unexpected and lengthy closing of the Route 518 bridge, which crosses the Delaware & Raritan Canal on the border between Rocky Hill Borough and Franklin Township, had municipal officials extremely upset and frustrated during the summer.
Maintenance work on the bridge, which was going to put it out of commission for about three or four weeks, began July 7. But Gov. Chris Christie issued an executive order on July 8 to stop work on all non-essential state-funded projects because of funding issues.
The $2.75 million bridge maintenance project was among many state-funded transportation projects that were deemed “non-essential,” pending an agreement to replenish the state Transportation Trust Fund. The state fund had run out of money.
The Montgomery Township Committee and the Rocky Hill Borough Council passed resolutions condemning the stop-work order, claiming that it put residents’ lives in danger because of the extra time that it would take for an ambulance — following detour routes — to reach the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro and hospitals in New Brunswick.
The detour, which also hampered the efforts of the Rocky Hill Fire Department and the Rocky Hill First Aid and Rescue Squad to respond to mutual aid calls in Franklin Township, resulted in additional traffic on Montgomery Township roads.
But in September, the stop-work order was lifted and construction began on the bridge, thanks to the efforts of state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and state Sen. Kip Bateman. They worked with Gov. Christie, the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the state Department of Transportation to re-start the project.
The two state lawmakers called on Gov. Christie to declare the bridge project as “essential,” which would allow work to resume. There is a provision in the governor’s executive order to stop work that allows projects to be kept active if they are essential to the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of New Jersey.
Once a decision was reached by the state lawmakers, the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders agreed to pay for the project. The county will pay for the project as a capital expenditure, with no added tax impact on Somerset County taxpayers.
WW-P school board race draws 10 candidates
School board elections are usually quiet and do not attract much attention, but that was not the case in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District Board of Education election in November.
The school board election drew 10 candidates for three available seats on the school board, as compared to four candidates for three open seats during the 2015 school board election cycle.
This year, six candidates were vying for two seats representing West Windsor Township on the school board – incumbent school board members Louisa Ho and Scott Powell, and four challengers.
In neighboring Plainsboro Township, there were four candidates for one seat representing the township on the school board. Incumber school board member Taylor Zhong was challenged by three residents.
In the end, Ms. Ho and Mr. Zhong kept their seats. Mr. Powell lost his bid for re-election to candidate Carol Herts. All three will be sworn into office when the school board reorganizes on Jan. 3, 3017.
The controversy over the fate of the Accelerated and Enriched Math program, plus related concerns about stress on students, may have stimulated interest in the school board race. The two issues were the topic of sometimes heated discussion at the school board meetings in 2015.
School district officials had proposed redesigning the math program, which falls under the district’s Gifted and Talented Program. The proposal called for dropping the Accelerated and Enriched Math program in grades 4 and 5, but keeping it in grades 6-12.
The recommendation to eliminate the program for fourth- and fifth-graders grew out of a review of the Gifted and Talented Program earlier in 2015. The study found that many children who did not qualify for the Accelerated and Enriched Math program – but who still had strong math skills – were not being challenged by grade-level math instruction.
Some parents were quite vocal in their desire to retain the Accelerated and Enriched Math program in its present form. They argued against the change, claiming it would “dumb down” the curriculum. They did not believe that differentiated instruction, in which lessons are tailored to each student’s needs, could be successfully implemented by classroom teachers.
Still other parents zeroed in on a 16-page letter from Superintendent of Schools David Aderhold, which pointed to the stress that has been placed on students in virtually all grades, but especially in the middle schools and high schools. He wrote that the focus should be on the “whole child” – a student’s social, emotional and academic development.
Several parents said that stress is a part of life, and that a child’s inability to be accepted into the Accelerated and Enriched Math program in elementary school will help the child learn how to handle stress. Children need to learn how to cope with setbacks, they said.
While the issue of stress has not been resolved, the school board voted 7-2 at its Dec. 15, 2015 meeting to discontinue the Accelerated and Enriched Math program for students in grades 4 and 5, and to keep it intact for sixth-graders. Mr. Zhong cast one of the two “no” votes, which meant he did not want to make any changes.
Students in fourth grade who were already enrolled in the program were not affected by the change. Effective in the 2017-18 school year, new criteria will be used to determine which fifth-graders will be placed in the Accelerated and Enriched Math program in the 2018-19 school year.
Canal Pointe repaving plan in place
The repaving of Canal Pointe Boulevard, which has been under discussion by West Windsor Township officials for more than a decade, is poised to begin in the spring of 2017.
West Windsor Township Council awarded a $1.4 million contract to S Brothers General Contractors Inc. for the controversial project in November 2016.
This is not an ordinary, run-of-the-mill repaving project. The four-lane roadway — two lanes in each direction — is going on a diet. It will be reduced to just one lane in each direction, between Alexander Road and Meadow Road.
There will be a center lane for left turns into the residential developments on one side of the street, and into the office parks on the other side of the street. A 6-foot-wide bicycle lane will be installed on both sides of Canal Pointe Boulevard.
The road diet — reducing the number of lanes — is intended to slow down the speed of the cars that use Canal Pointe Boulevard. It is a recognized traffic safety measure, from the federal to the state to the county level, township officials said.
The plan to put Canal Pointe Boulevard on a diet has been controversial. Some residents praised township officials for taking that action, while others were critical of the decision.
Under West Windsor Township’s form of government, the road diet decision was made by Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh — not by Township Council, although it was consulted.
Mayor Hsueh based his decision to go ahead with the road diet as the result of several studies conducted over the years — beginning with a grant-funded study by the state Department of Transportation in 2004.
The latest study, conducted in 2015 by the Burns Group, recommended one 10-foot-wide lane in each direction; a 12-foot-wide center lane for left turns; and a 6-foot-wide bicycle lane on each side.
The goal of the Burns Group study, which was originally conducted in 2008 and later updated, was to evaluate the existing and future conditions on Canal Pointe Boulevard, and to determine if any modifications should be recommended to better serve all users.
Lawrence manager to retire
After more than a decade at the helm of Lawrence Township municipal government, Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun announced his plans to retire in May 2017.
Mr. Krawczun has served as municipal manager since July 2005. He replaced former Municipal Manager William Guhl, who retired. Mr. Krawczun was hired in May 1994 to become the township’s chief financial officer.
Mr. Krawczun is only the second municipal manager in Lawrence Township in 24 years. Mr. Guhl assumed the top administrative post in 1992, and retired in 2005.
Lawrence Township had a series of municipal managers and acting municipal managers between the mid-1980s and Mr. Guhl’s appointment to the job in 1992.
Now, the search is on for a replacement for Mr. Krawczun.
Township Council, which appoints the municipal manager, hired Government Management Advisors LLC to search for a replacement for Mr. Krawczun. The goal is to hire a new municipal manager before he retires.
The consultant has been involved in the search to replace municipal managers or township administrators in towns that include Princeton, Plainsboro Township, North Brunswick Township and Montclair.
In addition to the title of municipal manager, Mr. Krawczun serves as the chief financial officer, the director of Community Development and the Public Safety director.
Prior to working in Lawrence Township, Mr. Krawczun served as the director of finance and administration in Asbury Park.
New market to locate in Plainsboro
The big news in Plainsboro Township was the announcement that the Food Emporium supermarket would be opening its doors at the Plainsboro Plaza shopping center, at Schalks Crossing and Scudders Mill roads, in mid-2017.
Plainsboro Township has lacked a supermarket since SuperFresh closed its doors in 2013. SuperFresh is part of the A&P chain of grocery stores. The parent company decided in 2012 to close three stores in New Jersey, which included the Plainsboro store.
There are specialty Indian and Asian grocery stores in the township, but shoppers have had to travel out of town to supermarkets — such as ShopRite, McCaffrey’s, Whole Foods, Trader Joe and Wegmans — in neighboring communities.
The 43,000-square-foot Food Emporium supermarket will focus on prepared foods, fresh produce and high quality butcher, seafood and bakery departments. It is part of the Key Food cooperative, and the Plainsboro store will be its 214th store.
The Food Emporium is the latest in a series of new tenants at the 218,000-square-foot Plainsboro Plaza shopping center, which was acquired by Onyx Equities LLC in 2013.
Onyx Equities LLC is a private real estate investment, management and development firm that was founded in 2004. The new owner recently completed a $4 million renovation of the shopping center, and plans to announce more store openings in the future.
New era of local newspaper ownership
One era of newspaper ownership ended in 2016 and another began when The Princeton Packet changed hands and the paper left its headquarters on Witherspoon Street.
James B. Kilgore, who had owned the paper, its sister publications and centraljersey.com since 1976, known most recently as the Packet Media Group, reached a deal earlier in the year to merge with Broad Street Media. The transaction meant that the Kilgore family — starting with Mr. Kilgore’s late father, Barney, who first acquired the Packet back in the 1950s — would no longer have direct control of newspapers serving parts of Central Jersey.
But over the summer, it was announced that Broad Street Media was acquired by businessman Richard Donnelly, owner of a Pennsauken-based advertising distribution company. In all, he owns publications in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“I’m a true believer in the value of community newspapers, and it’s my aim to support journalistic excellence at all of these publications,” Mr. Donnelly said in July.
As for Mr. Kilgore, he initially held the title of publisher of Packet Media LLC until the position eventually was handed over to Joe Eisele in September. Mr. Eisele had spent most of his career in advertising, including stints at The Princeton Packet starting in 1998 and then in 2010. He mostly recently had been publisher of Elauwit Media, which produced publications that included the Princeton Sun. The company was acquired by Mr. Donnelly this year.
For his vision of the Packet and its sister papers, Mr. Eisele had said in an October interview of wanting to gain readers in places like Cranbury and Hillsborough, where the Packet has papers, and become “relevant again” in Lawrence. The Packet had published the Lawrence Ledger, a paper that was discontinued in a series of cost-cutting moves.
In that same interview, he said he felt “relevant journalism matters again.”
“We’re here for you, we need to be a reflection of your community and we need feedback on what kind of job we’re doing,” he said of his message to towns his company serves.
Even with the ownership of the papers now settled, there was still unresolved business about the future of the real estate owned by Mr. Kilgore. The town of Princeton had expressed interest in buying the Packet’s offices for the site of a public works facility, only to be outbid by a private businesswoman.
Helena May emerged to acquire the Packet campus, including the main office on 300 Witherspoon St. The Packet remained in the building through the fall, until the editorial operations moved in December to an office at 145 Witherspoon St., and other employees moved to an office in Manalapan.
