Notes
Slide Show
Outline
1
Princeton, New Jersey
Plan for Downtown & Its Neighbors
  • Thinking about Zone 5
2
Zone 5
3
Zone 5
4
What the Neighbors Said Concerning:
  • Commercial Mix: “Village High Street”
  • Housing Mix
  • Friendly Lines between Town & Gown
  • Parking, Traffic, & Pedestrians
  • Open Spaces
  • Design & Character
5
Commerce/“Village High Street”
  • “We don’t want to be part of downtown.”
  • “How does one plan for diversity…avoid uniformity?”
  • “Make a planning map of many colors, like Broadway Boogie Woogie.”
  • “Commercialism is the heart and soul of the neighborhood.”
  • (but) “Not just an extension of Mall of America.” (Applause)
  • (but) “it is very noisy at the Orchid…and the Ivy Inn.”
  • “We need stores that sell useful products (too many dried flowers…)”
  • “…a lot of people use the gas stations.”
  • “Urban versus blue sky? We love the commercialism.”
6
Commerce/“Village High Street”
(continued)
7
Commerce/“Village High Street”
(continued)
8
Commerce/“Village High Street”
(continued)
9
Housing Mix
  • “…have a shop with residences above.”
  • “A place for my aged parents to live.”
  • “We don’t use our car to go out.”
  • “Could we increase the density…in a diverse way?”
  • “Need lower income housing; our children can’t        afford it here.”
  • “Do we require too many parking spaces for new residential?”
  • “How will ADA requirements affect small developments?”
10
Housing Mix
(continued)
11
Town & Gown
  • Part of the diversity of the area is caused by the presence of graduate students and faculty, who live and shop here.
  • This is the place where town & gown meet the most.
  • Only complaint was about University parking on Patton St.
  • University was well represented.
12
Town & Gown
(continued)
13
Parking, Traffic, & Pedestrians
  • “Linden & Hamilton is the worst intersection in town.”
  • “Hamilton St. between Harrison & Moore is a speedway.”
  • “If you try to cross Nassau St., you won’t make it.”
  • “We’ll (neighbors) pay for the humps on Hamilton St.!”
  • “The good thing about Pine being in terrible repair is   that drivers go slowly.”
  • “Spruce St. is parked up by 7:30 AM.”
  • “Patton..has parking from the University.”
14
Open Spaces
  • “Harrison St. Park badly needs refurbishing.”
  • “There is a park on Pine St.; very small.”
  • “Could volunteers for Barbara Boggs Sigmund Park    join with Harrison St. Park?”
  • “Wherever we have a node, we have an open space.”
15
Design & Character
  • “I would hate to see the stately homes turned into shops.”
  • “We have a picture of diversity…3 stories next to 2 stories.”
  • “I don’t want to see a long roof line.”
  • “We need strong architectural criteria.”
  • “There should be some sort of profile (of the buildings).”
  • “Nassau St. is such a treasure. Tools should get sharpened.”
16
Design & Character
(continued)
17
Design & Character
(continued)
18
Design & Character
(continued)
19
Design & Character
(continued)
20
Tools to accomplish these objectives
  • Zoning
  • Special Improvement District
  • Design Guidelines
  • Parking & Traffic Regulations
  • Civic Improvements
21
Zoning Map
22
Zoning Possibilities
  • Change CB District to NB, re building heights?
  • Should NB criteria be revised for Zone 5?
    • Should parking garages continue to be permitted?
    • Should the 15’ front yard be eliminated for retail in NB?
    • Should hotels continue to be permitted?
    • Confirm value of the 5,000 sf max retail/restaurant area.
  • Evaluate the parking criteria.
  • Note that gas stations are only permitted in SB District
  • Be sure to preserve the R3/R4 zones on Nassau
23
Special Improvement District
(S.I.D.)
  • Could include:
    • Building Owners
    • Business Owners
    • Neighbors
    • University
  • Services:
    • Cleaning
    • Marketing
    • Administer Design Guidelines
    • Create Civic Improvements
24
Design Guidelines:
Possible Topics
  • Building Height
  • Windows
  • Store Fronts
  • Proportions
  • Colors, Details
  • Character
25
Design Guidelines:
Savannah, GA as an example
26
Design Guidelines:
Savannah, GA as an example
27
Design Guidelines:
Possibilities
28
Design Guidelines:
Possibilities
29
Parking & Traffic Regulations
  • Make crossing Nassau St. safer at night
  • Change parking regulations on Patton & Spruce Sts.?
  • Can speed be slowed on Hamilton St.?
  • Can neighbors pay for humps on Hamilton St.?
  • Can Hamilton/Linden intersection be made safer?
30
Civic Improvements
  • Sidewalk repair
  • Cleanliness of the sidewalks
  • Visual improvements to Municipal Storage area
  • Pedestrian safety
  • Note that an S.I.D. can help, too
31
Civic Improvements:
Good and Bad Examples
32
Vision for Zone 5
  • We think of Nassau St. in our neighborhood as a “Village High Street”
  • We like the vitality here: the shopping opportunities, the variety of the residences, the style & character of the architecture, the diversity of the people
  • We like the fact that we can walk to the shops and that we don’t always need our cars
  • Therefore, if new development and change takes place, we want to preserve all the great attributes of our community
33
Community Master Plan: Elements
  • Goals
  • Land Use
  • Housing
  • Circulation
  • Utility Services
  • Community Facilities
  • Open Space & Recreation
  • Historic Preservation
  • Conservation
  • Implementation
34
Next Month . . .
  • Zone 4 / Witherspoon St.
  • Plus: More about Traffic & Parking