Measure would rely on limiting floor-to-area ratios and setting a square-footage cap
By: Marjorie Censer
The Princeton Borough Council will consider introducing an ordinance tonight that would limit residential home sizes.
The proposed ordinance, a version of which was originally introduced in May of last year, reflects changes made by the Zoning Amendment Review Committee of the Regional Planning Board of Princeton. The committee relaxed the regulations intended to control the construction of so-called "McMansions" in established neighborhoods in May, in response to recommendations heard at a public forum, and again at a July meeting.
Last month, council members promised representatives of the small local group "Save Jane’s House" which asked the council to better regulate tear-downs after developer Barsky Brothers purchased a home on South Harrison Street with plans to demolish it they would return to the ordinance in October.
The proposed ordinance, if approved by the council, would limit the size of houses on the basis of floor-to-area ratios or how much of the lot is covered by the house and also set a total square-footage cap for each residential zone. A change made by Zoning Amendment Review Committee adds a "cap plus" allowing slightly more square footage, granted proportionally, to homes limited by the square-footage cap. The proportionality addition will have no effect on homes constrained by the FAR.
At present, single-family homes in the borough can reach anywhere from 5,400 square feet to 15,000 square feet, depending on which of four residential zones the home is located.
Under the ordinance initially introduced by Borough Council last year, those numbers were significantly decreased to 3,000 to 7,000 square feet.
The proposed ordinance relaxes the figures, allowing home sizes to range from 3,000 to 8,000 square feet and more for those with oversized lots.
Under the proportionality clause, a homeowner in the R-1 zone with a 45,000-square-foot lot, for example, would be able to build a 9,083-square-foot home, rather than the 8,000-square-foot home designated by the cap.
The proportionality clause also provides for homeowners with undersized lots, allowing for an adjusted and slightly larger FAR.
If introduced, the ordinance would receive a public hearing at the Nov. 22 council meeting. If approved, it would then be forwarded to the Planning Board for review.
In other business, the council is expected to introduce an ordinance that would help the borough cope with its affordable-housing obligation by shifting that obligation for non-residential development to builders. Under the new state Council on Affordable Housing regulations, developers of non-residential properties are not required to provide an affordable-housing component, though their buildings create an affordable-housing obligation for the borough.