Princeton council declines to vacate Liberty Lane amid safety, utilities and access concerns

Council members declined to vacate a northern stub of Liberty Lane after developers and neighbors debated whether the change would create a safe access point for a proposed high‑school sports complex.

Missy Pike, the developer of Liberty Village, told the council she wants to use the lot at the north end of Liberty Lane for a maintenance shed and landscaping that would block lights, noise and traffic from the planned sports facility. "I wanna make a barrier to the traffic and the lights and the noise," Pike said, adding that her legal counsel suggested Mayor Ray Mabry recuse himself from further discussion because of his private development activities.

Planning staff Michael Ziering explained that the plan commission denied the street‑vacation request because multiple items were unresolved, including utilities and ingress/egress. "There was just too many unknowns, to approve vacating that street," Ziering said, and the commission asked for more information about access to 6th Street and potential land purchases.

Residents from Liberty Village and nearby neighborhoods urged the council to prioritize senior safety. One longtime resident described speeding and parking problems and said the neighborhood streets were not designed to bear large daily traffic volumes from competitions or construction. "There's no way these roads can support the significant amount of daily traffic that will be traveling to the sports complex," Pike said during public comment.

Council members repeatedly cited infrastructure uncertainty. A councilmember noted the need to confirm where water mains, storm sewers and easements run before approving a street vacation, and another said the council would likely vote "No" given the project is still in an early stage. The council held a roll call in which multiple members responded "No" when asked whether to vacate the street; under the motion wording recorded during the meeting, a "No" vote means the street would not be vacated.

Council members and staff reminded residents that the high‑school project will still go through planning and zoning review, where public hearings are open and the public may provide input. The planning commission may ask the school to revise its plans and return with more information, a process that can take several months.

The council did not adopt any final development approvals tonight and directed that additional information on access, utilities and construction plans be provided to planning staff and the planning commission before further action.

The council moved on to other agenda items after the public comment and discussion; no formal vacating of Liberty Lane was approved during the meeting.