Princeton Future to host community meeting about town’s master plan Saturday, Sept. 17

Princeton Future, a local non-profit that promotes community engagement in the town’s planning process, will hold a “listening meeting” on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Princeton United Methodist Church in downtown Princeton.

The meeting, free and open to the public, is a follow-up to the organization’s April 30 meeting. Community members were asked at that meeting to identify areas in town that could be susceptible to change and other areas that should not change. At the Sept. 17 meeting, community members will be asked their opinions on what kind of changes should be encouraged in the areas that are susceptible to change.

Tony Nelessen, a professor emeritus of urban planning at Rutgers University and a longtime Princeton resident, will summarize the recommendations from the April 30 meeting, and facilitate the discussion about what kind of changes could be considered.

The April 30 discussion was focused on seven areas in town: The Central Business District, the Witherspoon-Jackson area, Harrison Street and the Princeton Shopping Center, Alexander Road, the Westminster Choir College campus, Jugtown, and Princeton University’s Butler tract.

Some of the participants on April 30 offered suggestions for possible changes. “People wanted to see opportunities for auxiliary dwelling units,” Nelessen said. “There was a high preference for more bicycle paths and making lots of connections for them across town. And some people wanted to see an increase in the permitted floor area ratio in the central business district.”

The listening sessions are intended to complement the official master planning process currently being directed by the Princeton Planning Board. The findings of the listening sessions, including the meeting on Sept.17, are being recorded and transcribed and will be forwarded to the steering committee of the planning board’s master planning process for consideration.

Princeton United Methodist Church is located at the corner of Nassau Street and Vandeventer Avenue. The meeting will be held in the fellowship hall of the church. The entrance to the meeting room is located at the end of the walkway on the right side of the church and also can be accessed from the Park Place parking lot behind the church.