By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton officials are eyeing changing residential zoning regulations in a move triggered by concerns they have heard about homes being torn down and larger ones built in their place.
The council was due Monday to hire consultant, RBA Group, to create a “neighborhood character and zoning study” and provide officials with proposed ordinances and recommendations, both short and longer term, for officials to act upon, Mayor Liz Lempert said at her pre-meeting press conference.
“But this is something that I feel is long overdue for Princeton,” she said. “I think it’s an opportunity for us to adopt best practices, to update our zoning and to change what’s on the books so, in a lot of cases, it will better reflect what’s on the ground.”
She said older homes in town do not comply with current zoning, so it is easier for a builder to construct a new residence that complies with the zoning and thus avoid going before the municipal board of adjustment to get variances. That means, however, the new home won’t look the ones around it.
She said officials want to encourage development “that is reflective of the existing neighborhood character and to work with neighbors and residents to make sure that we have the right laws on the books.” Homebuilders will be part of that conversation, too, she said.
As part of its work, RBA Group will examine the economic impact of any zoning change, among other things, she said.
