Arts and Dinky Negotiations

Drawing courtesy of Princeton University

Weeks of negotiations between Princeton University, Borough, and Township over the controversial Arts, Entertainment and Transit Neighborhood have resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding, just published by the Borough.  While there seems to be no change in the University's resolve to move the Dinky station, the MOU does include certain measures to appease critics of its development plans.

The MOU includes:

• A promise that if the University moves the Dinky station further south, as proposed, it will never move it again, for as long as the Dinky line exists.
• A promise to collaborate on ways to increase usage of the Dinky, including better promotion, better access and shuttle connections to downtown.
• The University would build a new climate-controlled train station, near a 24-hour convenience store.  Until such services are built, the University will open the existing train station as a heated, lighted waiting room for passengers.
• To create a tripartite study group to look at long-term development of the Alexander Street corridor, as well as transit links from the Dinky station to Nassau Street, with initial recommendations to be completed in eight months.
• The University would contribute $250,000 to a “mass transit trust fund” for “ studies, planning and implementation of improvements to transit needs of the Princeton community”.

While the MOU makes no assumptions about future zoning decisions to be taken, it states that "The provisions of this MOU will become effective if and when the Planning Board adopts a resolution granting final site plan approval to Princeton University for its Arts and Transit proposal". 

This MOU is the second concrete result of efforts to put the University’s Arts and Transit plans back on track, after President Shirley Tilghman shocked the Princetons at the end of January by saying the University was abandoning its attempts to locate the multimillion dollar development within Princeton boundaries.  Earlier this week the Borough Council moved ahead with a rezoning ordinance which removed some of the obstacles to further development.

The biggest hurdle, however, remains vocal public opposition to moving the Dinky station in order to comply with Princeton University’s plans to build out the neighborhood with art venues, restaurants, studios, and walking space.

About the Author

Donna Liu

Founder, AllPrinceton

Donna Liu is a digital journalist who has lived in Princeton with her family since 2002.  She founded AllPrinceton in 2010 as an online hub for community news and information.  At Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, she built UChannel - an online archive of public affairs lectures in academia.  Before that she established and managed CNN International's Asia Production Center in Hong Kong.