Princeton Plans Renovation

Princeton University has unveiled a large-scale campus renovation plan aimed at preparing the school for projected physical growth in the coming decade, according to a statement released by the university on Monday.

The goals of the proposal, the statement said, include strengthening Princeton’s record on environmental issues; expanding common spaces for students; and accommodating the proposed expansion of the undergraduate population—from 4,700 to 5,200 by 2012—while still maintaining the “parklike” nature of the campus.

“It’s not a development project—it’s a master plan that a municipality might have,” said Cass Cliatt, a Princeton spokesman.

“It’s a framework for development for the next 10 years.”

Princeton’s plan foreshadow challenges similar to those that have arisen in the face of Harvard’s massive plans for Allston, as well as its impending House renovation efforts.

Like Princeton, Harvard has drawn up an environmentally-conscious building plan for Allston and is attempting to address a lack of student social and residential space on campus.

But unlike Harvard’s planned geographical expansion, Princeton’s building proposals will take shape within the bounds of the 380-acres that currently compose the campus.

Though Harvard construction across the Charles has been a source of tension with residents of the surrounding community, Cliatt said that Princeton does not foresee any such a problem.

She explained that the residences closest to the proposed construction generally belong to the University.

“We have the freedom to grow without having a very substantial impact on non-campus neighbors,” Cliatt said.

She added that community input was being taken seriously by the University, especially on the matter of a proposed reconstruction of transit systems adjacent to the school’s property, which could have an impact on local residents.

In contrast, Boston formed a mayor-appointed taskforce of Allston residents in 2006 to consult with the University on its expansion plans, and Harvard has negotiated extensively with the city about the benefits that the University will provide to the community.

Harvard and Boston are currently nearing an agreement that would provide Allston with up to $24 million in benefits.

While Princeton’s preliminary plans to renovate nearly 40 percent of its campus by 2016 were released in January, a 180-page book released Monday, “Princeton Campus Plan: The Next Ten Years and Beyond,” details the complete proposal.

“Princeton University’s campus is one of its most precious assets,” Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman said in the statement.

“This plan will revitalize the best-loved parts of the campus while improving and more fully integrating other areas, and it will allow us to create important new spaces while enhancing the beauty and sustainability of the campus environment.”

Funding for the Princeton plan has not yet been determined, as many proposed projects have not even been zoned, Cliatt said.

Still, Princeton has a deep bankroll from which to draw—its nearly $16 billion endowment is the largest in higher education on a per-capita basis.

—Staff writer Aditi Balakrishna can be reached at balakris@fas.harvard.edu.