Shifting of Dinky station to the south focus of concern
By: Courtney Gross
A Mecca for culture, academics and public activity, Princeton University’s proposed arts neighborhood might be the ultimate blending of town and gown for some, but for others the proposal looks more like a collision.
As some residents and officials criticize Princeton University’s encroachment into downtown Princeton, university representatives said Thursday they hope to create a gateway out of what is typically thought of as the "back door" to Princeton Borough, Princeton Township and the school’s campus.
"This is not just a campus neighborhood," said university Vice President and Secretary Robert Durkee of the combined academic and public space contained in the plan.
The concept, unveiled before the Regional Planning Board of Princeton, includes a roundabout at the intersection of Alexander Street and University Place, a relocated Dinky station and a public plaza. The proposal, while still in its early stages, was met with both praise and criticism from borough and township officials.
Straddling the border of both municipalities, the proposed arts neighborhood would include academic buildings, retail space and the possibility of a restaurant geared toward theatergoers and art patrons.
The discussion between Princeton and university planning officials was sparked by the municipalities’ current review of the Princeton Community Master Plan, which is simultaneously occurring as the university develops a 10-year campus plan.
Likely to cause the most debate in the planning process is the university’s proposal to relocate the Dinky station 460 feet south. Although university representatives intend to update the rail station with heated waiting areas and other commuter-friendly amenities, some officials hesitated to endorse a plan that would move the station at all.
"Princeton is talking about moving the transit away from the village," Borough Councilman Andrew Koontz said at Thursday’s meeting.
As municipalities across the state, including West Windsor, plan to redevelop and create transit villages, Mr. Koontz said the university is proposing the opposite by moving the station farther from Princeton’s downtown.
The relocation could add approximately two minutes to a commuter’s walk from Nassau Street, university representatives said. But that would be through redesigned landscaped pathways that intersect at the public plaza.
Marvin Reed, chairman of the Planning Board’s Master Plan Subcommittee, implored the university to keep the Dinky station at its current location, citing its importance to Princeton’s commuters.
"A plaza is created by the activity in it," Mr. Reed said. "If you really want to have activity at the plaza, then please keep the Dinky where it is."
The plaza would front on University Place and include the area of the existing Dinky station. It would be surrounded by performance and arts spaces.
The university also plans to relocate the surface parking lot for Dinky users and construct a driveway from Alexander Street to its parking garage, currently accessed from Elm Drive, an internal campus road. The garage, university officials said, would become more accessible for arts patrons if connected to one of Princeton’s main corridors.
One of the most critical goals to the redevelopment project would be to improve circulation through a "tangled" part of town, university officials said, where Princeton visitors are often idling their cars at the traffic light at the intersection of Alexander Street and University Place.
The proposed roundabout at that intersection was called "logical" by university planning representatives Thursday making passage easier for motorists in a congested area. The roundabout would be larger than the university’s Faculty Road roundabout, but remain a single lane, representatives said.
"When you come up Alexander it feels like you’re arriving at the back door of the town and the back door of the campus," said Neil Kittredge of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners of New York City, which is spearheading the university’s campus planning effort. "The intersection does not make the move people want," he added of the "historic traffic problem."
Some attendees Thursday seemed skeptical of the university’s preliminary proposal and its ability to integrate both the community’s interest with that of the university.
"I don’t want to see this area become another Washington Road," said Borough Councilwoman Wendy Benchley of a corridor overflowing with bottlenecks and pedestrian traffic.
Pierina Thayer, who has lived in Princeton for 50 years, said the neighborhood would be a gateway for Princeton University only, not the community.
"I don’t want to drive up Alexander Road from Route 1 and feel like I’m driving though Princeton University," Ms. Thayer said. "That road belongs to Princeton, not Princeton University."
Mr. Durkee responded that the project would take community input into account, and the result would ultimately provide a hotbed for town and gown activity.