By Pam Hersh
Before municipal consolidation, Princetonians continually agitated over the donut-and-hole controversy – often leaving a bitter taste in one’s mouth, very different from the taste of the donuts and holes found at Princeton’s two Dunkin’ stores.
Since that controversy has settled down, perhaps it is time that our elected officials tackle another not-so-sweet donut-hole issue – the housing missing middle.
In Princeton, the upper-income housing market has become so dominant that the space or the hole for middle-income housing and its middle-class residents has shrunk to near oblivion.
Finally, after years of my ranting on this topic, I have hope that Princeton’s housing market has a shot at being responsive to the middle class. Three people whose names are very well known to Princetonians – Princeton planning consultant Jim Constantine, Princeton architect and developer Bob Hillier and Princeton Council member David Cohen – are championing the changes necessary to encourage housing units that are middle-income affordable and satisfying to all residents as far as aesthetics, parking and traffic.
If the vision of these three individuals were realized, residents who earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing, but too little to afford Princeton rents or purchase prices, might be able to find a place to live in Princeton.
These middle-incomers can make an invaluable contribution to the town’s vitality by filling local middle income jobs, walking or taking mass transit rather than driving to those jobs, volunteering (especially in the much needed area of emergency services), supporting the town’s arts and entertainment, and patronizing the local retail businesses.
A New Jersey Future Redevelopment Forum on March 8 featured a session on missing- middle housing led by Constantine, who is a principal with the planning/architecture/ design firm LRK and in that role has become a nationally renowned expertise in smart growth, new urbanism and traditional neighborhood development. https://forum2019.njfuture.org/session/density-that-doesnt-look-dense-meeting-the-surging-demand-for-in-town-housing/
Called a “miracle worker” by the Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler of Highland Park where Constantine is the planner, and a “magician” by Councilman Cohen, Constantine enjoys the challenge of figuring out how towns short on space can create vibrant live/work/play and ultimately/stay environments that can accommodate residents of all incomes.
“We need to think creatively about the range of multi-unit residences to help meet the demand of walkable, urban lifestyle…. The question of how to provide new housing in places with little buildable land is of increasing importance…. The main issue is that we have zoned out of existence the smaller and higher density housing types, either accessory units to a single family residence, or modestly sized multi-unit structures that can fit aesthetically and compatibly in a single-family residential neighborhood…. The taxpayer does not have to subsidize this type of housing, but just has to accommodate the housing in its town’s zoning and planning standards. And I feel this can be done in a very satisfying manner for all residents, who will benefit as the town benefits from the very positive economic impact of this type of housing,” said Constantine.
One of the attendees at Constantine’s presentation at the New Jersey Future Redevelopment Forum was Bob Hillier, internationally renowned architect with a hyper-local focus. Locating his Studio Hillier firm on Witherspoon Street, Bob has been a passionate advocate of preserving the history and character of the Witherspoon neighborhood, while making it accessible to residents of all income levels.
“The land is the most expensive part of constructing housing in Princeton. The only way a developer could get a return on his investment in land in town like Princeton is to allow an increase in the density. If a builder can put four units instead of one unit on a site, it would be worth it for a developer to build much needed moderately priced housing (rather than one very expensive unit)….Also, we need to ease up on the parking mandates. Data show that in-town residences with proximity to mass transit and walking distance to jobs have a greatly reduced need for parking,” Hillier said.
Council member Cohen, not only understands the problem, but also has the professional background (he is a Harvard University and University of Virginia educated architect) to help plan and design missing-middle housing for Princeton.
“Jim Constantine really is something of a magician, finding a path through the mine fields of controversial planning issues to arrive at consensual solutions that leave people on all sides feeling like they got what they wanted. His talent will be especially needed on this effort, which is rightly couched as part two of the neighborhood character initiative – how do you transform the housing supply in Princeton to support our precious socio-economic and generational diversity, while seamlessly weaving the new in with the existing fabric of the built environment? If anyone can do it, Jim can,” Cohen said.
“I sat with [Jim] and our new planner (Michael LaPlace), just the other day to outline possible approaches to providing missing-middle housing – it is on council’s agenda for this year, and we are all eager to get going with the exercise. If the process goes as smoothly as the other two initiatives I have been lucky enough to work on with Jim, I have no reason to think we won’t have new ordinances in place by the end of 2019,” the councilman said.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am true middle-incomer and have a vested interest in the town’s ability to solve this problem. I hope the town can muddle through the missing-middle-income housing dilemma so I, a middle child, long past middle age, can afford to live in Princeton, which has been so much a part of my life for more than four decades.
Even though some people would love to get rid of me, the coffee shops, the toy store, cupcake store, and everyplace that sells donut holes would suffer severe economic losses if I – and my frequently visiting grandkids – were no longer walking the streets of the downtown.