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Chain link fence is stacked up outside Roberts and Tennent halls, waiting for the demolition permit to be issued.

The chain link fence has been installed around Whiteley Gym, and workers are salvaging windows and material from the interior. Photo Credit: TAPinto Staff

Chain link fence is stacked up outside Roberts and Tennent halls, waiting for the demolition permit to be issued.Photo Credit: TAPinto Staff

The chain link fence has been installed around Whiteley Gym, and workers are salvaging windows and material from the interior. Photo Credit: TAPinto Staff

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By Richard K. Rein

Published July 13, 2022 at 10:58 PM

Last updated July 13, 2022 at 10:58 PM

Princeton, NJ –Late last month we filed a report on the controversial plans for the Princeton Theological Seminary’s Tennent-Roberts-Whiteley (TRW) campus on Stockton Street at the corner of Hibben Road. The headline asked the question: “Is it Sayonara for Seminary Buildings?”

The answer now appears to be yes, and the time to express your fond farewell may be as soon as next week. The Theological Seminary, which owns the 5-plus acre cluster of buildings but is under contract to sell them to Princeton-based developer Herring Properties, has taken the first visible steps on the path to demolition.

Crews were on site this week unloading chain link fence that will eventually close off the demolition area, installing temporary electrical connections, and beginning the work of salvaging recyclable material from building interiors, including fixtures and light bulbs, among other items. The salvage work, apparently being done by Winzinger Inc. of Hainesport, NJ, a firm experienced in demolition and recycling, is not just an environmental gesture; it’s also a state requirement.

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“Under state law, there are things that MUST be recycled or salvaged,” said Jim Purcell, municipal land use engineer. “They are complying with all the regulations.”

The current salvage operation, Purcell said, “is in preparation of the actual demolition. We anticipate a permit application by the end of this week. That has to be processed by the Building Department, so it will be at least a few days into next week before a permit is actually issued.”

Once he takes ownership of the site, Jamie Herring, the developer, has said he will pursue a redevelopment plan for the site, which has been designated as an area in need of redevelopment (ANR). “Herring Properties is planning to provide housing options and other resources to the broader community such as tax revenues and open space, which goes considerably further than for one specific use,” Herring said in an e-mail exchange in June. “This will include market rate housing, affordable housing to the community, and a new site in downtown that has never been on the tax rolls.”

Before he presents a plan to Council, which must hold public hearings on it before voting to approve or to disapprove, Herring said he planned to conduct focus groups with the community to solicit opinions and suggestions. The “broader community,” he suggested, referred not just to immediate neighbors but also to other town residents.

Some of the immediate neighbors of the Seminary have formed a group called the Princeton Coalition for Responsible Development (PCRD). That group lobbied Council to rescind the ANR designation, arguing that since the ANR was established the Seminary has begun to search for a new president – M. Craig Barnes is retiring next year – and the Seminary has reversed course in terms of its plans for the property. The Seminary had originally hoped to develop the site as student housing, allowing it to sell other housing it owns in West Windsor and consolidate its student body on Princeton campus. (Some members of the PCRD were among the opponents of that plan.)

On June 27 Council’s redevelopment attorney, Frank Regan said there was no reason for Council to rescind its designation. “As to [PCRD’s] inquiries regarding a change in circumstances or players, (e.g., elected officials, planning board members, or Princeton Theological Seminary personnel) affecting the redevelopment area designation,” Regan wrote, “I have advised the governing body that such changes here are not of such significance to affect the redevelopment area designation or warrant recission because they are not related to the physical condition of the Seminary Property, which is the focus of the Redevelopment Law.

“Furthermore, the failure of the first attempt to adopt a redevelopment plan also does not provide a legal basis for rescission. In fact, it is common for multiple sequential attempts at redevelopment to occur on a site before success is finally achieved. Most significantly, rescinding the redevelopment area designation may result in serious negative consequences which include costly litigation for the Municipality and the inability to utilize the redevelopment process in the future to facilitate beneficial development of the property and Redevelopment Area.”

The discussion with Council that some people had hoped would open the door to some sort of last-minute plan to save some or all of the TRW campus and its Rolf-Bauhan designed buildings from the early 20^th century never materialized. Barring some last-minute legal maneuver, nothing now seems to stand between the buildings and bulldozers.

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