Town acquires new land in northeast corner of Princeton to promote green space

At the final Princeton Town Council meeting of 2024 on Dec. 30, the council unanimously voted to approve a final wire transfer of just over 9 million dollars to complete the acquisition of new land from Lanwin Group, a privately held real estate firm based in Hopewell. This land is located in the undeveloped Lanwin tract on Herrontown Road in the northeastern section of the town and spans almost 91 acres.

The land was initially put in front of the planning board to be developed with single home properties, although the development was not approved. Following the purchase, the land will serve as a space primarily for “passive recreation,” according to Councilwoman Eve Niedergang, as there will be no new development and existing buildings may be demolished.

Initially introduced in March 2024, the purchase was formally completed after the Dec. 30 meeting.

In recent years, the council has bought other large tracts of land, most recently in October 2021, when it acquired 153 acres from the Lanwin Group located in the town’s northwestern quadrant.

“The goal of these acquisitions that we’ve had over the last few years is not only to have a ring around the community where people can walk, but also to build connections from downtown and from the center of town,” Niedergang said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian. “There are many benefits psychologically for people to be in green spaces, so it’s promoting the health of people as well as the environment.”

The preservation of green spaces was a significant factor in the purchase of the land, according to Niedergang. Two key goals included the preservation of species variety and increased absorption of stormwater runoff.

“Eventually they [the Lanwin Group] would have been able to develop the property in one shape or another, and that would have meant a lot more impervious surfaces and a breakup of the continuity of the land,” Niedergang explained.

The purchase was funded by both private and public entities, with contributions from taxpayers, the state and county, private donations, and various open space partners, according to Niedergang. $3.2 million came from a grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program.

The Dec. 30 meeting lasted only five minutes, an unusually short meeting time with many other regular meetings lasting over an hour. Following the vote to approve the wire transfer, the meeting was concluded.

The next regular town council meeting will be on Jan. 13 following the upcoming reorganization of the council on Jan. 7. The Dec. 30 meeting marked the last regular meeting under the 2024 council and is viewable on their website.

Devon Rudolph is a News and Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’

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