Borough officials see meetings leading toward consensus
By: Jennifer Potash
After meetings with downtown businesspeople and representatives of local institutions Monday, Princeton Borough officials say they have heard greater consensus for a parking garage.
"By and large, their reactions were very favorable," Mayor Marvin Reed said.
The borough hired Desman Associates of New York to conduct an economic and architectural feasibility study of a parking garage and related development on two municipal sites downtown – the Park & Shop on Spring Street and the metered lot on Tulane Street.
The consultants met Monday with local business owners as well as officials from the Princeton Public Library, Princeton University, the YWCA of Princeton and the Princeton Family YMCA.
Mayor Reed and Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said they were optimistic following meetings with several adjacent building owners regarding possible partnerships with the borough, as it proceeds with planning for development at the sites.
"The vast majority were big-time supporters of the borough moving forward with some kind of structured parking as soon as we possibly can," Mr. Bruschi said.
Mr. Bruschi said he expects a report in January that will fine-tune some of the options presented last month from Desman Associates.
The consultants presented three schemes — which borough officials have referred to as "small," "medium" and "large" – that range from 455 to 575 parking spaces. The designs have varying degrees of commercial, residential and open-space elements.
Several proposals from Princeton Future – a group of citizens, architects and urban planners who want to be involved in guiding the development of the downtown – have suggested mostly underground parking garages.
The borough has known that putting parking underground is expensive, Mr. Bruschi said, but finally got an idea of how much more at Monday’s session.
The first level underground costs 25 percent more than an above-ground level; the second underground floor is 50 percent more; the third and any subsequent floor is 100 percent more, Mayor Reed said.
The trustees of the YWCA and YMCA brought up the possibility of a parking garage on their property, on Paul Robeson Place, to meet their demand for parking as well as other downtown needs.
Mayor Reed said the discussion with the YWCA and YMCA focused on some of the possibilities for a garage, such as an underground facility with playing fields on top.
Any parking structure at that location would probably not take the place of a garage at the two borough-owned sites, Mayor Reed said.
Richard F. Smith, chief financial officer of the YMCA, said the meeting was time well spent.
"It was good to discuss (the borough’s) plan and how the YMCA may become part of the solution," he said. "However, no specific plans are in place."
Katherine McGavern, YWCA board of trustees president, said the organization is in the "very first stages" of considering a garage or some other parking solution.
"Right now, there really is not any plan on the table," she said.
Given the layout of the properties, some have suggested locating a garage at the rear of the adjacent Merwick rehabilitative unit of The Medical Center at Princeton.
Spokeswoman Carol Norris said The Medical Center has not been approached by the borough but would be open to discussing possible plans.
The garage is by no means a done deal, said Borough Council President Roger Martindell on Tuesday.