One more hearing to go — maybe.

After 15 months of testimony from expert witnesses, members of the public were finally able to take the stand before the Princeton Township Zoning Board of Adjustment on Wednesday evening, lamenting or praising an age-restricted housing development slated for Bunn Drive.

Those among the approximately 70 attendees who spoke voiced two themes, some pleading for more senior housing in Princeton, others citing environmental concerns. But opponents of the Morgan Estates 96-unit market-rate condominium development predominated.

Despite the abundance of opinions presented to the zoning board, many went beyond whether the development was “suitable” for Princeton Township.

Attendees challenged the conduct of the hearings over the past year, arguing the deep-pocketed national developer Regal Homes, which is proposing Morgan Estates, has taken far more time before the board than residents and corporate neighbors opposed to the plan.

“I am struck by the peculiar imbalance with the applicant with unlimited resources,” Princeton resident Karl Hochschwender said.

Many criticized the time it took before members of the public had a chance to express their opinions, citing the many seasons that have changed while residents have patiently waited in Township Hall as witness after witness, expert after expert and attorneys for and against the development battled over the project.

The tension that has built up over more than 15 months of hearings was evident when Morgan Estates’ Attorney Frank Petrino attempted to cross-examine a resident during the public comment session — a practice that has become the norm during expert testimony on the development.

The attempt was met by jeers from the audience and opposition from several board members, including board member Jerome Rose.

“We are here to hear what our neighbors have to say,” Mr. Rose said. “Let the public speak. They have waited,” he added over the applause and cheers of the audience.

With that, nearly two dozen residents, from a Princeton University professor to environmentalists to senior housing advocates to a Girl Scout troop, took the microphone.

“This project is a Trojan horse … to attract people who have reached a peak earning power,” Mr. Hochschwender said of the age-restricted development. “They will come from all over, … so don’t call this a refuge for senior citizens.”

A senior citizen himself, Mr. Hochschwender said the application is not merely seeking a variance, but is asking for a change in zoning.

The development, slated for 14 acres comprising two contiguous lots on the heavily wooded Princeton Ridge, is zoned partly for office or research use and also for single-family homes.

Neither zone would permit the age-restricted development, nor is the application within one of the township’s senior housing overlay zones that were designated in 2001.

Several senior citizens spoke in favor of Morgan Estates, citing the immediate need for market-rate senior housing in Princeton — housing that currently does not exist.

“I think many people who have lived in Princeton most of their lives … would like to spend their retirement here,” said Sandra Persichetti Rothe, the executive director of Princeton Community Housing who said she was speaking for herself and not representing the housing organization.

Looking to scale down from a large home into an apartment-style condominium, Ms. Persichetti Rothe continued, “I urge you to differentiate between environmentalism and Nimbyism.”

Still, it is the environment that some nearby residents, especially those within the Governors Lane development, are concerned about. Residents displayed photographs of soggy lawns to make their case that Morgan Estates would only increase stormwater runoff problems.

Because of the “environmentally sensitive” nature of the Princeton Ridge, residents said the senior housing development — although it may be needed — has been proposed in the wrong place.

The next and possibly final hearing on Morgan Estates is scheduled for Feb. 28. Attorneys for and against the development are expected to give their final summations and the zoning board is planning to deliberate.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, January 27th, 2007 at 12:25 am and is filed under Condo, Real Estate. Tags: Adjustment Community Condo development Frank Petrino Jerome New Jersey Princeton Township Zoning Board of Adjustment Princeton University Rome Zoning Board . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.