By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton Community Housing, the nonprofit operator of affordable housing, is looking to add more 40 apartments to one of its developments on Bunn Drive.
The proposal would expand the 238-unit Princeton Community Village, now fully occupied with 654 people, PCH executive director Edward Truscelli said Tuesday. Details, though, still need to be ironed out.
PCH and the municipality are splitting in half the $376,750 in pre-development costs, like paying for engineering services. The town’s share is coming out of its affordable housing trust fund that real estate developers pay into.
“We’re going to be looking at the feasibility of what the units would look like and how we would design them and how we would construct them,” Truscelli said.
Municipal planning director Lee O. Solow said Tuesday that the town, for a long time, has wanted to put 40 more apartments at Princeton Community Village.
“And the town’s been in discussion with them for years about could we add some units there,” Solow said.
“This has been a project that’s been on our affordable housing plan for some years now,” Mayor Liz Lempert said Tuesday. “It’s a good opportunity for the creation of forty new units of affordable housing.”
In terms of construction costs, Truscelli said, “It’s obviously going to be a significant number, but we don’t know the cost yet.”
For his part, Solow said it “remains to be seen” whether the town contributes to the construction of the apartments.
“We’re hoping that, if they’re successful with the tax credit financing, we won’t have to finance the construction costs,” he said. “There are a lot of options.”
Princeton Community Village, built in 1975, has a mix of one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units and a waiting list of 364 households wanting to get in, Truscelli said. The 40 affordable apartments will have a varying number of bedrooms, like what’s there now.
“We can’t exactly say what the mix will be,” Truscelli said, “but the intention … would be a mix of units.”
This would be the first expansion of Princeton Community Village in its 42-year-history, if approved by the town next year.
In terms of a schedule, Truscelli said his “hope” is to file an application with the municipal zoning board in late fall. A hearing would be in 2018.
“There’s a tremendous need for more affordable housing opportunities in Princeton,” Truscelli said. “And so this is a great step in that direction.”
Mayor Lempert said she it was important to move on the project, even though the town is still waiting to learn what it’s affordable housing obligation will be for 1999-2025. Mercer County Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson is expected to issue a ruling this month.
“We have a good relationship with Princeton Community Housing, who would be the lead on the project,” she said. “We’ve collaborated with them in the past.”
