Princeton Planning Board approves conditional-use for Community Park Elementary improvements

The Princeton Planning Board voted Oct. 16 to grant Princeton Public Schools conditional-use authorization for planned additions and site work at Community Park Elementary School, 372 Witherspoon St. (file P2525-685CO).

The approval covers two rear building additions that create a new courtyard, a new mulched playground, new walkways and an 8-foot-wide asphalt shared-use bike path that would run between Community Park School and the municipal pool and parking area. The project also includes a bioretention basin to manage runoff from the new buildings and pavement and new fences and secured gates around school courtyards. The board recorded the motion as moved by Councilman Cohen and seconded by Owen O'Donnell; roll call recorded affirmative votes from the members present and the motion passed.

Why it matters: the work is part of the schools' voter-approved capital program and affects public land and rights-of-way where the municipality will need to take additional steps (for example, council approval is required for the shared-use path where it crosses municipal property). The project proposes physical changes that affect school security, pedestrian and bicycle access, tree protection and stormwater controls for adjacent public open space.

What the board and applicants presented: planning staff reviewed the municipal conditional-use standards the board must apply, and the schools' team — architects and engineers — showed site plans that place two additions at the school's rear, reroute walkways, add a courtyard, relocate a playground area and build a roughly 8-foot asphalt bike path that will be partially on municipal property. The applicant said the schools abandoned an earlier proposal to create a paved parking lot in the green space between the school driveway and 300 Witherspoon.

On stormwater and safety, the project includes a bioretention basin sized to meet New Jersey stormwater rules and to be reviewed by the D&R Canal Commission. The design team said the basin will be fenced and include maintenance access; project engineers estimated the basin depth at about 4 feet and said the fence around the basin will be roughly 4 feet high, with courtyard and perimeter fences higher where needed for security. "There is going to be a fence around that bioretention basin, as well as those fences and gates from the courtyards," planning staff said during the meeting.

Traffic and parking: the schools' traffic consultant, Patrick Downey of Dynamic Traffic, said trip generation from the capacity increase does not meet the DOT threshold for a significant traffic study (100 peak-hour trips). He reported that more than half of students use school buses and that the district's anticipated additional staffing (about 12 staff) would not exceed available parking. Downey summarized a daytime parking inventory that found an existing peak daytime parking demand of about 74 vehicles and a combined supply (school plus adjacent Park South lot) of about 94 spaces; with the expansion and conservative assumptions, estimated demand was about 76 spaces. The municipal staff and traffic consultant discussed non-project-but-related municipal actions such as refreshed parking signage, pavement markings to clarify the John Street exit is egress-only, and bus-only pavement markings on Witherspoon.

Trees, landscape and municipal coordination: applicants said they attempted to protect large trees in the bike-path alignment, will coordinate with the municipal arborist as recommended in the planning-office memorandum, and have landscaping and a separate municipal grant to plant additional trees across the school projects (the transcript records a grant that covers planting at multiple school sites). The shared-use path will require municipal council approval and an easement or other legal instrument because portions of it would be on municipal property; municipal staff indicated the recreation department is coordinating the park-side improvements.

Public comment and concerns: Evan Anderson (302 John St.), who identified himself as a parent with a child at Community Park, urged broader coordination across three nearby projects — the school additions, municipal park upgrades and a proposed municipal housing project on the DPW site — to ensure the public realm and streetscape are planned together. He also warned that children will attempt to access the stormwater basin despite fences and asked for clear safety measures and signage; the schools said they would install fencing and maintenance access and said the basin is designed to drain and would not remain deeply inundated for long periods.

Conditions and next steps: the board recorded that the schools will provide the fenced courtyards and fenced bioretention basin, consult the municipal arborist during construction, and comply with traffic and stormwater requirements described in planning and engineering memos. The board and municipal staff asked school and municipal staff to coordinate on lighting and final details for the shared-use path, noting that municipal council action will be required for authorization where the path crosses municipal land. The applicant said construction bidding is expected in the winter months with work starting in spring and main additions likely to take roughly 18–24 months.

The vote: the board approved the conditional-use authorization (motion moved by Councilman Cohen; seconded by Owen O'Donnell). Recorded roll-call votes were affirmative from the members present and the motion passed.

File and contacts: application file P2525-685CO (Community Park Elementary School conditional-use), planning office memoranda dated Sept. 19 and related traffic memos are in the public record for further detail.