Plan to demolish historic town property meets resistance
Annie YangA house in the town of Princeton constructed in 1870 that has been home to several generations of occupants faces possible demolition if Mary Moss Park is to be expanded. The town had planned to expand the half-acre park and renovate various aspects of the park, including replacing a wading pool with a “spray ground,” which would include a number of sprinklers. This plan met resistance, however, when local residents began to speak out against demolishing the house located at 31-33 Lytle St., and the town and residents are still discussing the next steps.The home is privately owned and was slated to be demolished in order to make room for two newly constructed houses, Mayor Liz Lempert said. “When the municipality learned that the demolition was slated to occur, we reached out to the developer to see if he’d be willing to sell the property to the municipality in order for the park expansion,” she said. Local real estate developer Roman Barsky holds the demolition permits, which he obtained last October, Lempert added. Barsky did not respond to requests for comment. Mercer County offered Open Space funding, which provides money to help preserve areas of land,in order to match the municipality’s contribution towards the park, Lempert said.
