By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Future developers of the former University Medical Center of Princeton will need to fashion a design that looks nothing like the single, massive building that AvalonBay failed to have approved, a committee agreed Tuesday.
The nine-member task force, created last month to reexamine and recommend changes to the zoning of the site, agreed that any development be made into at least three separate buildings. That stands in marked contrast to AvalonBay’s proposal to locate 280 apartments in one structure.
The task force is scheduled to have one more meeting, Monday, but is not expected to wrap up its work by then. Princeton Council President Bernard P. Miller, serving as chairman of the committee, said he expected that more meetings would be necessary.
Ultimately, the task force will need to forward its recommendations to the full council to consider, although it is not clear when that might occur. Officials have said they are in a hurry to get the zoning changes on the books, so the regulations would apply to any future project.
Pam Hersh, vice president for government and community affairs at Princeton HealthCare Systems, had no comment after the meeting. Hospital officials have expressed concern that the zoning changes be workable, worried about the property losing even more value than it already has.
AvalonBay was rejected by the Planning Board in December. The developer has the right to appeal the decision, but so far, it has not publicly stated its intention.
