Plenty of parking promised for Princeton's downtown Bicentennial Park Plaza

“The parking was not taken lightly,” VPS Architecture architect Sarah Schuler said.

Mayor Bob Hurst “really challenged” those involved with the design of Bicentennial Plaza to have an answer for the removal of parking from the public parking lot, she said, so a scientific analysis on area parking in a five and 10 minute walking radius of the park was completed.

The 264-space parking lot that occupies a full city block rarely has more than 50 vehicles parked in it, according to Princeton’s Stellar Communities website. 

When the Bicentennial Plaza is completed, it will retain about 80 spaces, Schuler said. Those are in addition to the parking available in a 10 minute walking circle around the plaza. 

There are about 470 marked spaces in a five minute walking circle around the Bicentennial Park, she said. That makes a total 853 marked spaces in a 10 minute walking circle around the plaza. That is in addition to unmarked or private parking spaces locals often utilize, Schuler said. 

In the past, the public parking lot was only at maximum capacity during Heritage Days or the city-wide yard sale, she said. 

“Once you understand how much parking is really available” the changes at the public parking lot across from the municipal building aren’t bad, she said. 

Progress is being made and “Sarah’s on top of things,” Hurst said.

Additionally, there are plans outside the Stellar Communities projects that could create parallel parking just along West Street on the side of the park. That additional parking will accommodate people needing parking space to do business on the east side of West Street, Schuler said. 

Some have voiced concern that parking will be a problem for the renovated Princeton Theatre and Community Center’s events. The theater will have a capacity for about 325 people, according to construction plans. 

Schuler estimates if an average of 200 attend, with at least two people to each car, that would mean 100 parking spaces would be needed, which means more than enough parking spaces are available, especially with extras in the five minute walking circle. 

“I’m going to have faith in the planners,” Broadway Players President Fred Hadley said. “Our shows will be in the evenings and weekends so we shouldn’t be competing with businesses for parking so much.” Hadley added they hope to have some special handicapped parking spaces on West Street. 

“(Parking) wasn’t just ignored, it wasn’t, ‘Oh, you’ll find it somewhere else,’” Schuler said.

One of the ideas bounced around is a valet parking option during events at the theater, she said. 

“A lot of people may ask why the parking isn’t (directly facing) the theater or the (Bureau of Motor Vehicles),” Schuler said. “It’s something that we did consider.” 

Those involved with the theater renovation hoped for something eye-catching when patrons walk out, she said. That’s why the parking spaces, which take up approximately one-third of the park, will border North Hall, West State Street and West Broadway instead, with the plaza bordering West Street, West State Street and West Broadway. 

When people walk out of the theater they will see a “beautiful” time capsule, she said. 

The plaza also includes a stone feature with a rock basin and recycling water, a designated area for a farmer’s market, historical markers and a plaza and tent area, Schuler said. 

There will be no playground area for children, but there will be “a large, open green space” with plenty of room to kick a ball around on, she said. 

Progress on the Bicentennial Park Plaza is right on time, Schuler said. 

Asphalt and sub-base are currently being removed from the parking lot, Schuler said. 

“We were prepared to find any situation, but we ran into only the best possible scenario,” she said. “The soils underneath look good. We see things under there, but nothing that will disrupt (the Bicentennial Plaza’s construction.)” 

“It will be substantially complete at the end of August,” she said. The county’s bicentennial celebration will be in mid-September; the Bicentennial Plaza will be open, weather depending, by the beginning of September, Schuler confirmed. 

“People think they’re just tearing everything up” without a good reason, but that isn’t the case, Hadley said, mentioning his interest in the outdoor space for possible entertainment and a farmer’s market. 

“What we’re thinking is we’ll have to wait and see,” Hadley said. “I’m sure if we have parking problems or need additional parking, we’ll put our heads together and find a solution.”