Princeton leaders lay out 2026 priorities: affordable housing, park project and Westminster campus decisions

Princeton's incoming council president and multiple council members used the Jan. 7 reorganization meeting to outline policy priorities for 2026, naming affordable housing, redevelopment, climate resilience, and Community Park South as near-term areas of focus. The mayor said the council will review capital budgets and ‘‘start making decisions’’ about the Westminster Choir College campus while noting potential tax implications.

Councilwoman Michelle Peron Lambros said the town should use its 250th anniversary as a reminder that local government is where democracy is practiced, and singled out affordable housing and Community Park South as priorities. "Whether we're debating a budget, investing in our parks and streetscapes, or ensuring that our neighborhoods are welcoming and inclusive, we're putting democracy in action," she said.

Another council member described the council's recent move to regulate short-term rentals and absentee ownership as a deliberate effort to protect neighborhoods and preserve housing stability: "This was about protection. Protection of neighborhoods, protection of families who want to live here, grow here and stay here," the council member said.

The mayor flagged several administrative priorities for the year, including a review of the proposed capital budget and acknowledgement that the Westminster Choir College campus raises tax and planning questions that the council will need to address. Council members also stressed planning, resilient infrastructure investments and continuing work on redevelopment and affordable-housing obligations.

No formal policy votes on these priorities were taken at the reorganization meeting; council members framed the remarks as guidance for work the body intends to take up in the coming months.