The Princeton Council is expected to hold a public hearing at its April 8 meeting on a revised ordinance that would rezone the former SAVE animal shelter site on Mt. Lucas Road for affordable housing.
Princeton Council introduced an ordinance to rezone the former SAVE property – located at the corner of Mt. Lucas Road and Herrontown Road – at its March 11 meeting. The council was ready to hold a public hearing and take final action on the proposed ordinance at its March 25 meeting.
But in response to comments from the Princeton Planning Board, which reviewed the proposed ordinance at its March 21 meeting, Princeton Council decided to scrap the original ordinance and to introduce the revised ordinance at its March 25 meeting.
The revised ordinance that was introduced at Princeton Council’s March 25 meeting still calls for affordable housing on the 3-acre parcel, which is bordered by Mt. Lucas Road, Herrontown Road and Old Orchard Lane.
In a memorandum from Princeton Planning Director Michael La Place, it was noted that “the (Planning) Board overall endorsed the ordinance and supported the need in providing affordable housing throughout the Princeton community.”
But the Princeton Planning Board also recommended some changes to the proposed ordinance that was introduced at the Princeton Council’s March 11 meeting, such as including at least one electronic vehicle charging station in the parking lot.
Among the other changes, the Planning Board recommended removing language that stipulates the “the building design shall incorporate a three-story component that will encompass the east wing of the building (the Mt. Lucas Road side of the site), along the south side of the site (backing up to Old Orchard Lane).”
Some residents had objected to the height of the buildings proposed for the site, which would tower over the neighboring homes and an adjacent office park on Herrontown Road.
The other changes suggested by the Planning Board included clarifying that the affordable housing rental units will remain affordable for at least 30 years, and that the administrative agent in charge of the affordable housing development will be selected by Princeton – not the developer.
Preference for housing would be given to people who live in the state Council on Affordable Housing’s Region 4, which includes Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties.
All of those changes were included in the revised ordinance that was introduced at Princeton Council’s March 25 meeting, and that is set for a public hearing at the council’s April 8 meeting.
SAVE had occupied the Mt. Lucas Road property until it moved to its current location on Route 601 in Montgomery Township. Developer Charles Yedlin purchased the property and was granted approval in 2017 to build a 25,000-square-foot office building.
But the office market is soft, and Yedlin was agreeable to rezoning the land for affordable housing.
Meanwhile, a concept plan for the property shows up to 65 units in a mixture of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, plus parking. The development would be deed-restricted so that the units could only be rented to low- and moderate-income households.
Of those rental apartments, up to 50 percent would be set aside for moderate-income households. A minimum of 50 percent of the apartments would be earmarked for low-income households – and of those units, 13 percent would be set aside for very-low income households.
According to state guidelines, a one-person household earning up to $55,557 would be considered to be a moderate income household. A one-person low-income household is one that earns up to $34,723, and a very-low income household is one that earns up to $20,834.
For a four-person household, one that earns up to $79,638 is considered to be a moderate-income household. A low-income four-person household can earn up to $49,604 and a very-low income four-person household earns a maximum of $29,763.
