HELP Protect Historic Jugtown!

RB Homes, Inc. has submitted an application to the Planning Board for a massive, approx. 16,000 square foot, 4-story addition to 344 Nassau St., on the NE corner of Harrison Street.

The development proposes 15 residential units, of which 3 will be  affordable. The application specifies 15 parking spaces, 6 for commercial use, in an area where the adjacent streets have no on-street parking. The proposal will also reduce commercial space in the existing building.  ,.

Despite significant neighborhood concerns raised in public meetings, written in letters to the editor, and conveying our concerns to the developer and public officials, the application is preceding through the Planning Department process.

The proposed 4-story design will: 

1) Overwhelm the 18th century original home on that corner

2) Significantly harm the Jugtown Historic District by not conforming to the Historic Preservation Ordinance

3) Worsen the already dangerous traffic and pedestrian conditions at the Nassau-Harrison intersection.

4) Set the precedent for future 4-story additions on all corners of this historic crossroads.

Preservation New Jersey’s “10 Most Endangered Historic Places program spotlights irreplaceable historic, architectural, cultural, and archeological resources in New Jersey that are in imminent danger of being lost. The act of listing these resources acknowledges their importance to the heritage of New Jersey and draws attention to the predicaments that endanger their survival and the survival of historic resources statewide. Selections are based on historic significance and architectural integrity, the critical nature of the threat identified, and the likelihood that inclusion on the list will have a positive impact on efforts to protect the resource.” https://www.preservationnj.org/10most2024 

The Joseph Hornor House prominently occupies the northeast corner of the 18th Century Jugtown village at the Nassau and Harrison Streets crossroads – the historic and iconic northern entrance to Princeton. The Jugtown Historic District National Register Nomination cites the District as a “visually cohesive entity” and the Joseph Hornor House as “the single most important and pivotal building at the Jugtown crossroads.” 

Preservation New Jersey’s naming of the Joseph Hornor House highlights the conflict arising from incentivizing massive development without considering its impact on the historic buildings and streetscapes of the local, State, and nationally-designated Jugtown Historic District. The Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO-2) that Princeton Council adopted in 2020, without notice to neighbors or residents, to promote housing with 20% affordable units, loosened zoning regulations to allow four-story additions in conflict with provisions of the Princeton Historic Preservation Ordinance that warrant appropriately-scaled and visually-compatible new construction in historic districts. 

In the first development proposal in Jugtown under the AHO-2, a four-story, 20,000 square feet addition of 15 apartments would destroy part of the two-story Joseph Hornor House and build partially on top of it, overwhelming it physically and visually in conflict with the Historic Preservation Ordinance and National Park Service Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The addition as proposed would also overwhelm the historic Jugtown crossroads and set a negative precedent for future development in the Jugtown Historic District and in other historic districts in Princeton and elsewhere. 

For future incentivized inclusionary development in the Jugtown Historic District, Save Jugtown has had informal discussions with Princeton Council members for an amended, targeted overlay zone that explicitly recognizes the Jugtown Historic District, and protects its historic character and scale by complying with the Historic Preservation Ordinance and The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The new overlay zone would be adopted in 2025 as part of Princeton’s compliance planning for the upcoming Fourth Round (2025-2035) of fair share housing to ensure an appropriate balance between Princeton’s affordable housing and historic preservation goals. 

Lets affirm Princeton's commitment to preserving its famous historic character by maintaining the historical integrity of the Jugtown Historic District and 344 Nassau, which the National Register identifies as "the single and most pivotal building at the Jugtown crossroads!” We must urge the HPC to follow the standards set forth in the Historic Preservation Ordinance by recommending a reduction in the size of the proposed building, and a design to be compatible with the Historic District, and an appropriate setback from Harrison Street. 

As HPC is an advisory commission, the final decision will be made by the Planning Board, and we will need to make our voices heard there as well.  We must urge the Planning Board to require development that is scaled and designed to meet Princeton’s historic preservation provisions, to minimize potential vehicular and pedestrian traffic conflicts, and to retain first floor commercial uses to support Jugtown as a neighborhood center. 

Lets make sure that all new development in Jugtown is balanced with Princeton’s historic preservation goals and with public safety.

Designated an Historic District in 1986, Jugtown / Queenston is one of the most notable historic neighborhoods to survive in the town of Princeton. It started as a crossroads settlement around 1730. The only older Princeton settlements are Stony Brook, 1696, and Princeton Village (by the road later called Witherspoon Street), circa 1715. Today, Jugtown / Queenston remains one of Princeton’s busiest and most important intersections, and yet the historic roots of the settlement are discernible in the landmark buildings and in the harmonious balance of residential and commercial structures of modest scale, all evident in a gentle evolution over three centuries. 

Read more at:

Jugtown/Queenston History Book