How are you? No, it does not. Hey everybody, if we could take our seats. We're live now. Welcome to meeting of the mayor and council of Princeton, New Jersey. It is June 26, 2025.
Madame Clerk, could we have the meeting statement, please? Notice of this meeting was provided in accordance with the requirements of the open public meetings act and state regulations governing public meetings, including the time, date, and location
of the meeting and clear and concise instructions to the public for accessing the meeting and making comments. In addition, the agenda and all related materials were posted electronically and made available to the public on Princeton's meeting portal in advance of the meeting. Thank you. I'll do the land
acknowledgement. We gather today on the land of the Lenny Lape. As members of the Princeton community, we aspire to show appreciation, respect, and concern for all peoples and our environment. We honor the the Lape and other indigenous caretakers of these lands and waters,
the elders who lived here before, the indigenous today, and the generations to come. Can we have a roll call, please? Mr. McDonald here. Miss Peron Lamrose, here. Mr. Cohen, Miss Saxs here, Miss Braga here, Mr.
Nulan here, Mayor Freda here. All right, if you're able and you'd like to stand, we'll do the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. I think David uh that may be David who's in the waiting room. I'm sorry. I think there's a hand raised which I think is
not Liz. I think it's David. He may want to be added as a panelist. Yeah, there we go. Thank you for noticing that. All right. Next up, public comments for items not on the agenda. If anybody in the room or on Zoom has a item that's not on the
agenda, this would be the time to speak up or raise a hand. All right, seeing none, we'll close that part of the agenda. Thank you. All right, resolutions. First up, 25-230 resolution of the mayor and council of
Princeton endorsing the municipal housing element and fair share plan as adopted by the Princeton Planning Board and adopting the spending plan annexed thereto as Princeton's fourth round spending plan. Mia has the motion.
Michelle has the second. Comments, questions? Let me ask two quick questions because in a couple different places in the one of the resolutions and in the plan it talks about rehabbing 60 units at the housing
authority. Do we have an estimated cost as to how much money we would be setting aside for that at some point? It's a minimum of $10,000 per statute. I can't hear you. I'm sorry. In our spending plan, the minimum is $10,000 per
statute. Um but we can exceed that if if we want to but but we have um right acquitted ourselves uh per the statute of what what we're required. All right. So we don't have an actual estimate. We just know what the minimum is. That is correct. The the estimate we would would
need to be uh done in consultation with the housing authority which I I'm sure we will engage in that. And then on the Franklin lot, if some funding isn't available elsewhere, do we have an idea about how much we would end up having to bond for that? That would probably be
around $60 million. 50 60. Okay. Between 60 and 70. That it's a municipally sponsored project. So, um technically, um since it had not gotten funding yet, um the town would be on the hook, but
we're confident that it will. Let me just say we are optimistic that it will be funded um in the mixed income round this fall. Um, but I I'm just going to add an asterisk which that this is the situation with municipally
sponsored projects that if they don't get state funding, the town is on the hook. So less density, more money. Yeah. And I'm just mentioning those not in any way as a negative thing, but since we are going to be talking about capital budgets in the future, we do need to make sure that every potential cost
that's going to come our way is included in that. All right. Any other questions or comments on that resolution? Brian? Yeah, it may be um early in the meeting, but I wanted to offer thanks um to the uh committee and particularly to Mia,
David, and Michelle for their hard work and to the other people in this room who've worked incredibly hard. Um Justin, um Elaine from Clark Kaitton Hins, Kevin. Um and I know that this is been at least weekly meetings for well
in excess of a year and a lot of sleepless nights. And I think um what you came up with is an excellent plan. Um and um I enjoyed the planning board comments last night. The community seems to be very pleased and um again very grateful for all your work.
Yeah. No, thank you for pointing that out. It's a lot of work, a lot of good work. Any other questions or comments? Oh, Leon, sorry. Thank you, Mark. I just wanted to echo what my colleague Ryan just said about um what we're covering
today and also uh being a witness to the planning board meeting last night. Um Mark, you did a great job. David Cwin, you did a great job. Uh everyone that was participating did a great job. Shout out to you. um Clark hatton and hence
for a wonderful comprehensive and thoroughly full presentation that gave I think everyone uh on the phone on the virtual uh meeting a good understanding of what we are it is that we're trying
to do and fortunately uh 99.9% of the people who responded on virtual on the virtual meeting had very positive comments about how we uh used how Mia,
David, and Michelle used along with others a very balanced approach on the fourth round. It it was extremely well done. Thank you. Thanks, lady. Any other comments or questions? All right. All in favor of the resolution, please say I.
I. I. Thanks, David. Dave Cohen's on remote just so I don't want you to think I'm talking to somebody. my imaginary friend. He actually exists. Um 25231 resolution of the mayor and council of Princeton of intent to fund or bond for
fourth round affordable housing program. Would someone like to move that? Thank you. Leticia's got the second questions or comments. All right. Seeing none, all in favor, please say I. I.
25232 resolution of the mayor and council of Princeton authorizing a fourth round affordable housing settlement agreement with Fairshare Housing Center. Would someone Mia has the motion? Leighton's got the second. Questions or comments. All right, seeing none. All in favor,
please say I. I. All right, David, even though you're remote, do you want to make a motion to adjurnn? I I actually want to make a comment. I'm sorry. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, that's okay. Um, one sec. I just wanted to note apppropo of the last resolution that um in the third round Princeton and
the fair share housing center were pitted against one another in court um and spent a great deal of money in a 41-day trial um which had a a benefit to the entire state of New Jersey in that it resulted in the Jacobson methodology
which codified um how you can uh how towns and come up with their fair share number. Um, and that's the methodology that the the DCA used in the fourth round and that was the basis for the fourth round legislation. So, all of Princeton
taxpayers contributed mightily to uh the fourth round what I think is is a success given the number of towns that have um filed their plans.
um many of us at this at the uh 11th hour, but better late than never. Um and given the deadlines, they they were very tight deadlines. But anyway, I I just like to note that Princeton and Fair Share had a an an remarkably amicable settlement this time. We do have a
settlement again this this year uh this round and this year because uh we amended our third round settlement which reflected the separation of burough and township and as if you read in the plan we wanted to plan for a consolidated
municipality which is what we did but that required amending our third round settlement um but we've had very amicable productive um discussions negotiations with fair share and the settlement that we just passed reflects
a document that um both sides are equally pleased about and uh we didn't have to reach that agreement in court. So I think that's a a a major step forward and I'm I'm really really pleased. Thanks Mia Leighton.
Mayor I must be losing my mind because I forgot to mention our illustrious planner Justin Leco in this process. Justin, I'm sorry. Thank you for all of the extraordinary work that you did. Thank you. All right. Any other
comments? All right. So, now we can let David make a motion. David, thank you. Um, I move that we adjourn. Thank you. Is there a second? Thank you, Brian. All in favor say I. I. Thank you, everybody involved.
Thank you.