Liberty Village residents ask Princeton to curb school parking, offer land and pay for gated access

Residents and owners of Liberty Village pressed the Princeton City Council on persistent parking, speeding and trespass problems at the retirement community that they say result from high school practices and weekend events.

The homeowners’ representative, Lori Mason, told the council the community’s property “has been used without our notice and without our consent” for parking and that vehicles have driven onto landscaped lots, parked in front yards and blocked access. “I don’t know. I’m guessing there’s a 100 or 200 cars parked on our grass,” Mason said, adding that children have been seen standing in the roadway and that double‑parked cars could block emergency vehicles.

City and school officials were asked to prevent the recurring activity and to coordinate longer‑term parking plans. The developer and owner representative (speakers identified in the meeting as Liberty Village owners) described multiple meetings with Princeton High School staff and the superintendent, whom they said told them the district lacks funds to add parking. The speakers said the district indicated it would provide only the “required number of parking spots for that building alone,” which would not address overflow from existing athletic fields.

Why it matters: residents said the use of privately developed lots for repeated event parking has damaged property, created safety risks for residents and emergency responders, and reduced lot values. The owners offered a multi‑part solution and asked the council for help coordinating it with the school.

Details and proposals

- Gates and access control: The property owner offered to pay to install permanent gates on two streets that cut through Liberty Village and provide gate openers to homeowners and Knox‑type access for emergency responders. The owner said the gates are meant to stop through traffic while preserving legitimate visitor access: “We’re not trying to keep people out of Liberty Village entirely,” the speaker said. The owner asked the city to permit stopping through traffic on those streets.

- Donation of lots for parking: The owner offered to donate adjacent lots — described in testimony as roughly 10–14 lots in the area used for temporary parking — to an entity that could develop them for managed parking. The owner estimated the unrealized residential development value lost on those lots at about “a half million dollars.” The speakers said they would consider working with the Princeton Youth Football League (represented in the meeting by Nick Lauer) to manage the space and clean up after events.

- Operational fixes requested: Residents and owners urged the school to move school buses from the concession area on busy competition Saturdays, to station staff or volunteers to direct parking and traffic flow for a small number of high‑attendance Saturdays each season, and to expand off‑street parking as part of any new construction. Liberty Village said it previously offered to donate land for a parking lot when the district said it lacked funds in 2017.

Council and staff response

Mayor Raymond Mabry and council members invited department heads — including the street and public safety departments and the fire chief — to stay after the meeting for follow‑up questions. Council members recommended that Liberty Village present the proposal to the school board at its next meeting and that the city work with the school and Princeton Youth Football League to explore interim traffic control on competition days.

No formal council action was taken at the meeting. The council asked staff to remain for follow‑up discussion and to help coordinate possible next steps with school officials, the Princeton Youth Football League and Liberty Village representatives.

Ending

Liberty Village speakers emphasized willingness to cooperate: they offered to donate land and to fund gate installation in exchange for help stopping repeated trespass and restoring lot value. Council members directed staff to follow up and also urged Liberty Village to bring the proposal directly to the high school board at its next meeting.