Not a Dinky decision

Princeton University wants to move the Dinky station about 460 feet to south — farther from Nassau Street, a move that appears to be opposed by the Princeton Borough Council.

View Larger Map

The proposal is part of a larger reconfiguration of the University Place/Alexander Road area that calls for it to become an “arts and transit neighborhood” surrounding the McCarter Theatre. The notion is a good one, taking advantage of the theater and the rail link to create a destination on campus but close to downtown Princeton.

The issue, as many pointed out when a revised plan was unveiled last week, is moving the station. The 460-foot shift is not a lot — less than a 10th of a mile or about two city blocks — but there were concerns raised.

Borough resident Roberto Wineman said he walked to the Dinky and “those 500 feet coming and going may be very pleasant in June but are worth 5,000 feet in January,” for commuters like himself.

Sheldon Sturges, managing director of Princeton Future, said “the single sustainable truth of this development is the Dinky ought to move closer to the town.” If the university wanted to do something for the community as part of the arts and transit neighborhood, it would move the Dinky closer not farther from downtown Princeton, Mr. Sturges said.

That said, the response was mostly positive for a plan that could create another spur off the downtown and offer another reason to come to Princeton.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet