PRINCETON: Hospital developer concedes; reduces the number of units

Zoning for the Princeton hospital site is headed back to the Princeton Regional Planning Board after the developer gave up a requested increase in density and met affordable housing requirements.

AvalonBay was seeking to build 324 units, 44 more than the 280 approved in current zoning for the site. The Iselin-based builder gave up the extra 44 units after pressure from the community and to move the project forward.

Were doing the 20 percent (affordable housing), were reducing to 280 and everything weve heard from the public for the last month, six weeks, weve conceded to and complied with, said Ron Ladell, senior vice president, AvalonBay Communities, at the Borough Council meeting on Tuesday. Except for LEED, which youve already determined by the town attorney you cant mandate.

In previous meetings, the developer had said the 44 extra units would add another nine to the affordable housing component and additional profits on the project.

A new ordinance was introduced on Tuesday night that included provisions for signs, changes to the uses for the site to include a leasing office child care and an arts and crafts studio, said Lee Solow, planning director.

Borough Council members expressed support for porches in the design of the apartment buildings as attractive additions that promote a feeling of community and neighborhood.

Porches got most of the attention on Tuesday night because the Planning Board did not recommend adoption of stoops, patios, porches, balconies, bay windows and other design features to extend into the building setback area.

Mr. Ladell assured council that the porches and stoops do not intrude into the setbacks and stoops and porches make the development look more like one and two family homes, which matches the neighborhood.

Council president Barbara Trelstad said the apartment complex would have some private spaces for residents, and not a gated community. She used an analogy of a private backyard, which is open space, but not open to the public.

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PRINCETON: Hospital developer concedes; reduces the number of units