The Municipality of Princeton is moving forward with a plan to redevelop a lot in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood near Community Park Elementary School into an affordable housing apartment complex.
Members of the Princeton Council recently voted to approve a development agreement with local nonprofit and real estate developer Princeton Community Housing for the construction of new affordable apartments at 303 John Street.
The resolution, approved on August 10, states that PCH Development Corporation will build, own, and operate a 35-unit affordable housing development for low- and medium-income residents. The lot is currently owned by the municipality and has been used by the Department of Public Works as a temporary location for vehicle storage and staff offices in trailers, according to a report in Walkable Princeton.
Princeton will tear down the buildings on the lot, remediate the site, and allocate up to $50,000 to PCH for any further demolition or environmental remediation work that may be needed.
A report in Patch in June 2025 says Trenton requires Princeton to build up to 276 affordable housing units in the next nine years as part of the state’s fourth-round housing mandate. The municipality, according to the report, negotiated that settlement down to 229 units by using housing credits for existing qualifying units.
The site at 303 John Street is part of a 13-site affordable housing plan slated to deliver 249 affordable units. The project is one of three new developments that will be 100% affordable housing; the other two projects will be located at the former Chestnut Street Firehouse, where PCH will build 16 units with a community room, and at the former Harrison Street firehouse, where the developer will deliver 34 additional units.
PCH has a long history of developing affordable housing in the municipality. The nonprofit owns and manages the 263-unit Princeton Community Village at 1 Holly House Office. That community consists of townhouses and two mid-rise apartment buildings.
The nonprofit also owns and manages the Elm Court and Harriet Bryan House affordable housing complexes on Elm Road. Both communities serve seniors and together comprise 155 units. PCH also owns and manages 70 low-income units at Griggs Farm at 205 Griggs Drive. That residential complex consists of market-rate units, condominiums, and moderate-income housing.
