Nassau Street Kiosk Will Get an Upgrade

One of the kiosks along Nassau Street will soon get a face lift- more public space for posting, plus local maps, business locations and commuter schedules.

Princeton Regional Chamber of Commere officials have worked with Princeton architect J. Robert Hillier to address concerns from both officials and members of the public.

“We’ve created designated space on the new design that will accommodate what the future users have been asking for with a significant increase in public postings space,” Chamber CEO &President Peter Crowley said. "Our original design had 44.25 square feet for the public, the new design has 72 square feet, or 27.75 additional square feet, of space for posting, which will maintain the character of the original kiosk.

Council is expected to sign a lease agreement with the Chamber at its next public meeting.

It's not yet clear which kiosk will be upgraded, but it will be the one in worse repair, Crowley said. 

Princeton officials had previously been lukewarm on a proposal by the Chamber, which plans to lease, upgrade and maintain the kiosks at the corners of Nassau and Witherspoon Street and Nassau and Vandeventer Street. Today the kiosks are typically plastered with layers of disorganized fliers.

Most of the opposition stemmed from a plan for advertising on the kiosk, which would pay for the upfront investment and ongoing maintenance.

Council was still divided on the issue Monday night, with Mayor Liz Lempert ultimately tilting the discussion in favor of moving ahead with one revamped kiosk, before committing to both.

The new design features 12 panels (some inverted), which will increase the space available for public postings, plus there will be space for business directory, maps, and commuter information.

The kiosk will feature less than 40 percent advertising and priority will be given to businesses within the municipal boundaries of Princeton. Princeton Merchants Association members would receive a half-price discount.

Advertising will be reduced to 56.25 square feet, from an originally proposed 59 square feet.

“My impression is that these plans are substantially improved over what you brought us earlier,” Council Member Patrick Simon said.

The project had multiple voices of support on Monday, including Princeton University and Princeton business owner Jack Morrison, among others.

“We think it’s essential for our stakeholders to have this information out there…and to have a place that’s representative of Princeton,” said Lori Rabon, chair of the Princeton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We have a beautiful town and certainly looking at the kiosks in the state they are now, we can certainly do a lot to improve them.”

Council Members Lance Liverman and Bernie Miller also supported the plan, saying it was pro-local business and would eliminate the need for Princeton taxpayers to fund the kiosks maintenance and repairs.

Council Members Jenny Crumiller and Jo Butler opposed the plan.

“I don’t want to add more paid advertising the streetscape,” Crumiller said. “It’s not there now.”         

Butler said she’s heard loud and clear from residents a desire for the kiosks to stay as is, even though she said she would prefer the kiosks were taken down altogether.

Heather Howard said the kiosks make Princeton unique and worried that the Chamber solution was addressing a problem that doesn’t need fixing. However, she supported Lempert’s idea to start with the revamping of one kiosk and see how it goes, rather than committing to both kiosks at once.

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