Township Officials Blast Transit Ordinance, Question Process

Action by Princeton Borough Council this month to designate a transit right of way from the Dinky up to Nassau Street has thrown a major wrench into Princeton University’s plans to build its $300 million arts project.

It could also potentially cost taxpayers of a consolidated Princeton millions of dollars at a time when the consolidation is supposed to reduce municipal costs.

And it could be seen as a way to circumvent the Memorandum of Understanding negotiated last year between Princeton Borough, Princeton Township and Princeton University. 

Township Committee on Monday questioned aloud why Borough officials would take such action that’s in direct conflict with an MOU promise to set aside a future transit easement.  

“It appears to me the ordinance as presently written undercuts what was done in the MOU and is in effect a backdoor approach to negating the MOU,” Township Committee Member Bernie Miller said.

On April 10, Borough Council introduced an ordinance to amend the municipal map to include a transit right of way from the Dinky tracks up to Nassau Street.

Borough officials have been vocal about opposing the University's plan to move the Dinky tracks nearly 500 south in order to make room for its new $300 million arts project. 

Under the Borough's latest ordinance, anyone who wants to build within that right of way must defer to the Borough, which has the right to freeze development up to a year and then purchase the land outright.

On Monday, that process was triggered when Princeton University delivered plans to begin its new arts and transit development, Township Attorney Edwin Schmierer said.

The university plans to convert the Dinky’s southern train building into a restaurant- and it’s located directly within the right of way, Schmierer said. 

Once the university plans are deemed complete, the Borough must decide-  within 90-120 days of the development plans being deemed complete- if it will exercise its right to freeze development and buy the land.

Kristin Appelget, director of community and regional affairs at Princeton University, said the University has no intention of revising its plan to stay outside of the transit easement.

“I think it’s disappointing to see that you can work through a process for several months and come to agreement and then have them turn around and not stand up to the agreement and the document that they signed their names to,” she said on Monday.

Township Committee members said they were never consulted about the Borough’s ordinance.

Committee Member Lance Liverman questioned why Township officials weren’t consulted given the potential impact on taxpayers.

“We need to send a clear message that we’re supposed to be joining ourselves at the hip as a consolidated community,” Liverman said. “What’s next? In all honesty, we have to work together.”

His colleagues agreed.

“I think about all the meetings we had talking about Community Park Pool and how we were trying to save tens of thousands of dollars on that, Committee Member Liz Lempert said. "And here we are unilaterally potentially spending millions of dollars and it’s troubling.”

Township committee unanimously reaffirmed its support of the MOU and the right of way included therein and said any future major decisions should be discussed in joint meetings of the governing bodies.