Princeton Council Supports Kiosk Removal For Nassau Street Project

PRINCETON, NJ — Council on Monday said it supported the removal of kiosks as part of the Nassau Streetscape project.

The question was put to Council during a work session. The kiosks, originally phone booths and newspaper vending boxes, are now used for community flyers.

Council members debated their removal, with some citing issues like obstruction, mess, and environmental impact, while others raised concerns about free speech and community information dissemination.

“I think the one at Witherspoon and Nassau needs to go. It's too narrow there. It interferes with people walking on the sidewalk. The one at Vandeventer and Nassau, I am actually more in favor of having something there and not removing it totally,” Mayor Mark Freda said.

Councilwoman Eve Niedergang said she was in favor of removing the kiosk but wondered if removing them would “diminish community” in some way.

“I think they're hideously ugly, and I'd love to move to a digital display. The digital display, is then under our control, and it ceases to be a place for the public to interact,” Niedergang said.

Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros talked about the environmental impact of having paper scattered about the kiosk.

“We should remove them. They are an eyesore. They're a mess after storms. There's paper all over. They're not even environmentally friendly because of the paper that's used up,” Pirone Lambros said.

Although in favor of removing the kiosk, Council President Mia Sacks said the existing kiosk was a “free marketplace of ideas” and anyone could post. “Once we remove it and we go to an electronic option, the government is in charge of who can express what idea. And this is what concerns me,” Sacks said.

Council members Leticia Fraga and Leighton Newlin suggested bringing back the kiosk in some form where the community can post public announcements.

The decision on potential replacements, such as digital displays or electronic kiosks, was tabled for further discussion and research.

Council also emphasized the importance of addressing project-related questions before deciding on a replacement.

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