By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
The Princeton Council likely will vote later this month on an agreement spelling out the town’s affordable housing requirement, in a matter an already growing school district is eyeing given the implications of more housing on the school population., The town has reached a settlement in “principle” with the Cherry Hill-based Fair Share Housing Center, an advocacy group, on the town’s requirement from 1999 to 2025. Mayor Liz Lempert last week had raised the possibility that the council could vote at Monday’s council meeting to approve the deal, one that had ended Princeton’s part in a litigation on the issue., But talking to reporters Monday afternoon, she said a vote would have to wait as the town and Fair Share Housing are working to finalize the written agreement., “The expectation and hope is that it would be ready” for the council meeting on May 22, she said., “We’re very close,” Council President Jenny Crumiller said at the mayor’s press conference., For its part, Fair Share Housing Center declined to elaborate on specifics of the agreement., “But I would again commend the mayor and council for working with us to ensure that Princeton remains a welcoming place for working families, seniors and people with disabilities,” said spokesman Anthony Campisi by email Monday. “This agreement will recognize the work Princeton has done to be a welcoming community and will allow it to continue on this course of ensuring diversity and inclusion.”, Mayor Lempert said the deal has “different components,” including a list of where the housing would be built or land that the town would have to rezone to accommodate it. Crumiller said part of the settlement calls for getting the zoning in place by September, so that means the town “most likely” would have to go through the “zoning process” this summer., “We’re looking at planning hearings over the summer,” Crumiller said., Besides the direct impact on the town, the agreement is expected to have implications for the school district, which is waiting to learn what the town’s requirement will be., “I’m eager to learn that,” said Superintendent of Schools Stephen C. Cochrane by phone Monday. “We’re still waiting.”, Mayor Lempert said that once she gets clearance from lawyers, the town would share that information with the district., The housing requirement will help inform the school district’s demographer to forecast school enrollment, in a district where student population has been growing. Recently released enrollment data showed 3,756 students, a figure projected to grow even before the district knew what the housing settlement contained., “We’re looking at considerably more enrollment as a result of the settlement,” Cochrane said., The district has floated the possibility of opening a new school., The town has said that the affordable housing requirement would reflect only a portion of the new development that will take place. At the moment, the town requires developers to provide affordable housing on a 4-1 basis, four market rate units for every affordable unit., For example, the 280-unit AvalonBay at the former Princeton Hospital site was approved along those lines, so that 56 units were set aside as affordable housing.
