Seldom in life is everything cut and dry. Life is often more of a balancing act. Trying to pit wants vs. needs, help vs. harm, others vs. yourself. I could go on, but I think you get the point. Especially after last week’s elections, which saw some voting in an effort to get what they want while others were voting to prevent what they don’t want.

This month’s Princeton Perspectives sorts through some of these ideas in Finding the Right Balance, Around Town and in Life. Everyday decisions, from how to put together your Thanksgiving meal to how Princeton should put together its Master Plan, involves balance.

Before we get into the new information, take a look at our Perspectives Revisited, which shares about the latest aid Princeton is receiving to help with continued recovery post pandemic and offers details on which local NJ Hall of Fame nominees just got inducted.

For this issue we asked several locals if they were planning for the future of the Princeton area, what would they like to see? From shopping to eating, layout and more, local residents shared their thoughts, which you can see in our Pulse of Princeton video.

Next week, people across America are going to be celebrating Thanksgiving. So, How Do Locals Balance Flavors, Food and Guests at the Thanksgiving Meal? We wanted to know what people in our area prefer. Chefs and local eatery owners provided some insight to compliment the thoughts and feelings many locals provided us. This article will get you hungry and might also provide some good ideas for your Thanksgiving meal, too!

Sadly, what’s meant to be a joyous time can also be a stressful time if you’re the one putting it all together. To help, try to plan ahead, cook in advance and let whatever happens, happen. Sometimes it’s just managing stress but it’s no secret the pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of many. The good news is that people are talking about it and trying to be more proactive with help. This goes for our schools as well. How Princeton Public Schools are Reacting to Student Mental Health vs. Workload Stress details some of the reactive and proactive things the district is doing for students, both throughout this remaining school year and into the future.

Looking at the future is what the municipality of Princeton has been trying to do this year as it works to rewrite the Master Plan. A guide for planning various aspect of municipal life, those in charge have to balance people’s desires with what the roadways, buildings and more have dictated are needed. Creating a Master Plan that Balances the Needs of All Involved delves into what the Master Plan is, its history and how officials are working to balance everyone’s desires and move it forward.

Speaking of a plan, is it possible to know when to list your house or buy a new one? Many don’t have a choice, as a job or school may dictate the need to move. This year, we’re nearing a possible recession, inflation has skyrocketed and mortgage prices have gone up. How does this all affect the balance of sales vs. purchases of homes in town? How Balanced is the Princeton Real Estate Market? tells us more.

The articles have range, but we hope they provide some balance between your interests, what’s happening around town and a desire to educate you on things you might not have even been aware of.

Finding the right balance isn’t always easy, and it often takes work. But it can be rewarding. We hope you’ll reward yourself this Thanksgiving by spending time with those you love, eating foods that bring you joy and taking some time for yourself (maybe even some time to read through this entire issue!).

Our readership has been growing each month, and that’s in part thanks to you. Please continue to forward the latest issue, talk about our articles and know that no matter what, Princeton Perspectives is here to provide all sides to a story, in an unbiased way, to enlighten and educate our community. We hope we’re writing about what matters to you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When you look forward to your Thanksgiving feast, are you dreaming of the turkey or the sides? Do you get through the meal for the dessert or are you savoring every bite you eat? When planning a Turkey-Day menu, there are a lot of things to consider, ensuring your guests leave full and satisfied. What is the right balance? While most would agree on some basic needs, there are some nuances.

It’s About the Sides

Princeton Perspectives got feedback from more than 60 locals, all of whom care deeply for their Thanksgiving meal. While a turkey on the table has become synonymous with Thanksgiving, it turns out 81% of those we heard from favor their sides over the bird. “Probably 20% meat, 30% veggies, 50% starch,” one respondent put it.

If you are planning a full vegan or vegetarian meal, the sides become even more important. Sweet potato souffle, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing (cornbread or sausage were stated favorites), brussel sprouts, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce topped people’s preferences. Some eat their foods separately, and for others it’s the “smoosh” of eating it all together that makes it great! What makes these sides even more special? Several that took our survey said they are once-a-year treats.

“Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top is my favorite! I never make it outside of Thanksgiving and it sits right next to me at the table,” admits Nessa Tallo. And Pam Adler confesses, “I like to keep it traditional and always look forward to mashed potatoes. I don’t eat them any other time.”

While most prefer starches to vegetables, some believe you can’t have one without the other.

“Stuffing, turkey and gravy are number one, but there also needs to be vegetables. String beans, roasted root veggies, and salad. Something green on the plate is a must. And of course, cranberry sauce,” Dane Dickler explains.

Family heritages play a big role, too.

“Offering both Italian and American sides, starters… antipasti, zuppa, salads, cheese, salumi,” Raoul Momo says of his family’s meal. As co-owner of Terra Momo Restaurant Group, he puts many family favorites, some served at Teresa Cafe and Mediterra, onto the table. “Lots of Italian dishes like lasagna, tortellini in brodo, involtini di melanzane (a/k/a eggplant rollatini) along with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner turkey, stuffing with sausage, mashed sweet potatoes baked with pineapple.”

Danielle Mack told Princeton Perspectives, there’s a similar trend at her family’s table. “My Italian mom will always have antipasta, burrata and some kind of pasta as earlier courses before turkey. So definitely everything that isn’t turkey is a highlight for me.”

Sweet vs. Savory?

When planning your side dishes, what should the balance be between sweet and savory? Nearly 60% of respondents desire a balance of both…but if you had to pick one, savory wins out, 24 to 1 (many recommend saving the sweets for dessert, which we’ll get to later!).

Personal preference of the chef and family traditions tend to dictate what will be served, but there are some general guidelines, shares Shelley Wiseman, chef, author and owner of Shelley’s Table, which offers international cooking classes & culinary adventures.

“Whether you are a turkey person or not, there should always be enough sides to satisfy vegetarians, vegans and other diets, which are so prevalent these days—a son’s new girlfriend might be joining the table! While sweet potatoes or yams are a must, you might change up the marshmallows-on-top with a savory version (*see recipe below),” Wiseman details. “If not everyone is in love with brussels sprouts, but they are still a must have, try shredding them ahead on a manual slicer and lightly sautéing them for a lighter, crowd-pleasing flavor. Add a drizzle of apple vinegar at the end and some toasted nuts to liven them up.”

Even with all of these amazing side dishes, it does appear that most homes wouldn’t consider it Thanksgiving without serving a turkey as well.

Turkey on the Table

“People get either whole turkeys, or we also do a boneless turkey breast that’s easier to deal with, easier to cut, but a lot of people do like the traditional whole turkey. We cook them fresh that morning so all you have to do is heat them up,” shares Adam Angelakis, co-owner of Olives, where his staff arrives early on Thanksgiving Day to prepare fresh meals for local pick-up. “We’re here from 3am cooking fresh turkeys and making the stuffing.”

Whether you buy it cooked or make it yourself, be sure to serve both white and dark meat, to suit everyone’s needs. And don’t forget to save the carcass (some guests find that to be their favorite part!). Guidelines suggest 1-2 pounds of turkey per guest (don’t worry about cooking one too large, as the leftovers are even better). Wiseman offers some guidance on how to cook your turkey to perfection:

Roasting time…

For a 10 to 16-pound bird:

At 450°F: about 10 minutes per pound (a 12-pound bird will take about 2 hours)

At 350°F: about 18 to 20 minutes per pound

For an 18 to 25-pound bird:

At 450°F: about 7 minutes per pound

At 350°F: about 13 to 15 minutes per pound

Internal temperature when removing from oven: at least 165°F in thigh (check in several places: the temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees while resting, then fall again as it starts to cool). And always let meat rest before carving so the juices redistribute into the fibers of the meat.

Resting time: 20 to 30 minutes loosely covered with foil

“Looking for balance in the menu means balance of color and texture, as well as taste, and consider a balance of cooking methods so you don’t find yourself with everything needing to be in the oven or on the stove, or too many things being last minute. My best tip though, is to get family to bring some of the dishes, so you don’t have to do it all yourself!” Wiseman provides.

Don’t Forget Dessert

Many love to bring along a favorite dessert and once the main course is complete, that’s what everyone is looking forward to. No matter how full, there always seems to be room.

“All diets are off that day,” Angelakis states, as Olive’s prepares many sweets for Thanksgiving. “No one forgets about dessert. We do a lot of dessert. We sell traditional pies and also do lemon merengue, chocolate mousse pie, other specialty desserts. By far the most popular is pumpkin, it’s the favorite.”

Princeton locals agree, with 36% sharing a preference for pumpkin pie. Apple and pecan came in second with some suggesting cookies or something chocolate instead.

“A plate full of stuffing and pumpkin pie is the most perfect plate there ever was or ever could be, in my opinion!” someone shared anonymously on the survey.

So, it seems there’s a majority consensus that you should balance your sweets vs. savory side dishes, serve them along with some turkey and be sure to include pumpkin pie on your dessert tray. But who will you be sharing it with and when is the best time to eat?

Who is at Your Table?

Nearly 60% of those on our survey said they enjoy Thanksgiving meal with family, though almost 20% incorporate family and friends at the same table. For timing, our restaurant and cooking experts recommend an afternoon feast, providing for enough appetizers to get one started for a later afternoon sit down meal.

However you choose to put it all together, there is no right or wrong way to prepare or plan your day. Just be sure that you balance all of your efforts with some relaxation and enjoyment with your loved ones.

For several weeks around Princeton, you may have seen a sign like this, encouraging participation in the latest survey for the Master Plan. It had been mentioned weekly in the Princeton Municipal Newsletter, in the weekly update from Princeton Public Library, it was on counters at downtown retail checkout areas, even included in informational emails from local religious institutions. It is fair to say it was unlikely that you hadn’t seen some sort of request from Princeton to take a survey about the Community Master Plan. Yet many may still be left wondering what a Master Plan is, what role they have in it and what it means for Princeton.

What is a Master Plan?

For simplicity purposes, let’s compare the Master Plan to a travel map. Today, most people have Waze, Google or Apple Maps. You get in your car, plug in the address for where you are headed, and instantly get turn-by-turn directions loaded to the screen. Sadly, the technology for mapping out the future plans of a municipality isn’t quite as advanced as that on your iPhone. Rather, it’s a bit more like the “olden days” when AAA helped you research the location you were headed to, included options for where you could bike or walk instead of drive, get gas, even figuring out some fun stops along the way and printed you a AAA TripTik to help you get there (this is available on your phone now, too!). This literal roadmap ensures that you don’t miss anything, providing overall guidance with a clear plan of where you are headed and what you need to do to arrive.

According to the Princeton Community Master Plan website, “a Master Plan is a long-range document that guides a community’s growth and development, taking into account its unique challenges and opportunities.” It includes details such as how the community wants certain areas to develop (the same or differently), zoning expectations for different locations and neighborhoods, ideas about travel (roadways, bike lanes, etc.), preservation (open space), public uses (within parks and other areas), and additional theoretical and technical ideas.

Per New Jersey law, every municipality must have one. Princeton has decided that in order to properly map out its path for the next 10 years, it must heavily weigh community input. Two surveys have been put out so far to local residents, to gather feedback that will help direct the Master Plan rewrite that is underway. The first went out over the summer on economic growth (the Princeton Consumer Survey) and the second, as seen above, just closed last week and was about the community vision. There was also a Princeton University Student Consumer Survey. To some, it appears the Master Plan is a compilation of people’s hopes and dreams for the future, and in some ways it is. But it is intended to provide specific guidance on local decisions to allow the town to get there, and technically falls under the authority of the Planning Board, which mainly follows zoning codes around town.

“It’s more than just land use because it is tied into so many things,” shares Justin Lesko, Princeton’s Acting Planning Director/Senior Planner. “Even if you’re not interested in planning this legal document, you still can be interested in taking part and contributing to it because it touches upon open space, recreation, how we get around, cars, e-bikes, mass transit, historic presentation, green building and sustainability, etc. It’s not just something I am going to type up that is going to sit on a shelf and never gets looked at.”

Being able to read, understand and utilize the Master Plan better enables the Zoning Board to ensure that permits granted to new buildings are in line with what the town wants in that area, and that when Council creates new ordinances, they have guidance based on input from many factions of the community.

“The Master Plan will inform decision-makers on Princeton’s attitudes about how it wants to grow. The decision-makers include the appointed members of the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment, who decide whether land-use applications conform to community values and attitudes as articulated in the Master Plan; and Mayor and Council, who make policy decisions and adopt zoning ordinances, which are informed by the Master Plan,” explains Tim Quinn, who chairs the Planning Board’s Master Plan Subcommittee, is Planning Board Vice Chair and ex-officio member of the Master Plan Steering Committee.

New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law requires that the Master Plan is reexamined and adopted every ten years. Princeton last did a complete overhaul in 1996. It did make updates to elements of the plan in 2001, 2007, 2017 and 2020 (the Housing and Green Building and Sustainability elements adopted that year will be incorporated into the new plan).

Why is the Master Plan important?

“It’s like getting in your car and looking at a map from 30 years ago. Would you use that map and try to take a trip and go somewhere?” questioned Councilwoman Mia Sacks, Planning Board member and Council Liaison to the Master Plan Steering Committee.

Unfortunately, the Princeton government has been utilizing an outdated “map” for far too many years. Though there were some updates made since 1996, the essential community input remains and must be reworked to address what is needed and wanted today.

“The town’s current Master Plan was so out of date that it had become a relic of where we’ve been, rather than a roadmap of where we want to go. With all the outdated, excess, extraneous material, it had become difficult to navigate the existing plan, let alone to comprehend!” explains Councilwoman Sacks with Councilman David Cohen, Planning Board member and member of the Master Plan Subcommittee. “Creating a streamlined, organized, highly readable document that the average lay person can easily access is a top priority.”

At the end of October, a Mercer County Superior Court judge overturned an approved townhouse development intended on Humbert Street, citing that the variances granted by Princeton’s Planning Board would change the character of the area as it is intended in the zoning ordinance. Maybe the current ordinance is consistent with the community’s desires for that area, and it shouldn’t be home to townhouses. Or perhaps an updated Master plan will show a desire to change the zoning provisions, allowing the buildings? This is just one such example of how zoning plans guide what can be done on specific properties.

“When Zoning regulations more accurately reflect the current built reality of an area of town, neighborhood visioning and land use review go much more smoothly. A major focus of the Master Plan is to identify critical areas where this sort of correction is needed,” Sacks and Cohen add. “The Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood (WJN), where most of the existing structures are nonconforming, is a prime example. Until corrective action is taken, it will remain more expensive and cumbersome for the current residents of the WJN to make even the smallest modifications or additions to their houses.”

How is the new Master Plan getting created?

The re-examined Master Plan officially falls under the helm of the Planning Board who will ultimately vote on the final plan. Within this board falls the Master Plan Subcommittee, which was first tasked with hiring contractors to help craft the document – JGSC Group helped with economic development, Susan G Blickstein, LLC with community engagement and Clarke Caton Hintz (CCH) which is guiding the process and ultimately drafts the new Master Plan. These processes are all to take place with guidance from the Master Plan Steering Committee, a 13-member group comprised of stakeholders across the community.

“The Steering Committee members have been selected specifically with an eye toward representing a wide range of stakeholder and interest groups, to ensure that no single point of view is disproportionately favored in the process,” explain Sacks and Cohen.

The Steering Committee also serves to ensure that things move along, with monthly meetings (open to the public via Zoom or through YouTube recordings) created to guide the process and not manage the content.

Interestingly, though Council will be implementing and using it as a guide when creating certain policies and ordinances, Council does not have to approve the updated Master Plan. Two Council members, Sacks and Cohen, sit on the Planning Board (and subsequently are part of the Steering Committee), and Mayor Mark Freda is also a member of the Steering Committee. Yet, no specific guidance is being given towards the new plan from the sitting officials beyond the opportunities granted to everyone in the community.

So, who is contributing most to the direction of the new Master Plan? You! Every effort is being made to ensure that anyone that wants to share their thoughts, concerns and desires, has a chance to do so. In addition to the opportunity to attend Steering Committee meetings, locals have and will be invited to take part in community surveys and are requested at open houses (the first of which will be at Princeton Public Library November 30^th from 4-7pm).

The first community survey, put out this summer, received approximately 4,000 responses with about 75% from Princeton residents. This amounts to approximately 10% of the local population taking part. For the most recent community survey, despite intense outreach, preliminary results indicate there were 896 responses. 88% of the respondents said they lived in Princeton (less than 3% of the population). Is this enough input to go on?

“We will want to know that survey responses came from every geographic area; from people of various ages, ethnicities and gender identities; from old-timers and newcomers; people in different types of housing, with a variety of income levels, etc. That data will tell us if the survey successfully reached a broad cross-section of Princeton,” says Louise Wilson, Princeton Planning Board chair and member of the Master Plan Steering Committee, further adding that the Steering Committee will explore these demographics.

Is the necessary input being received?

Still, some residents wonder how much of their feedback is going to translate into the new Master Plan.

“We love it here and love being near the university campus, but I don’t feel they’re being upfront with what’s going on. The survey is way too long and very vague. Can they actually bring in more pizza restaurants than coffee shops? People go to landlords, not the town,” resident Jessica Vieira poses to Princeton Perspectives. “We currently have zoning plans in place that they’re not adhering to. They took down the historic Tennent Roberts Whiteley Buildings at the Princeton Seminary and I’m pretty sure that’s not zoned for multi-family housing. It’s dormitory living, very different than it will be with people with cars in dwellings.”

Those involved hope the new Master Plan will ease this type of concern, for with current and modern desires better outlined, the decisions made by municipal officials and boards shouldn’t conflict with what’s in the books. As for transparency, some say those guiding the Master Plan are being as open as possible – with all public meetings and a triumphant effort to gather community feedback.

“Get involved. If you didn’t get a chance to fill out the first or second surveys, please come to the Nov. 30 Open House at Princeton Public Library. There will be a third survey building off the results of the Visioning Survey (the second survey, which closed Nov. 6). It is very important that every voice to be heard because this plan will shape what our town will become,” Quinn notes.

In addition, there is hope that beyond the surveys and open houses, additional input gathered from the continued outreach to the community will add to the vision. Lesko and CCH consultants are planning meetings with all Boards, Committees and Commissions, at many community events, with local religious institutions, nonprofit organizations and other groups that have interests and concerns about the Master Plan. And they request that anyone else that wants a meeting reach out to arrange one. Once this data is compiled, organizers will move onto the next steps.

How does the Master Plan move forward?

“This winter, the consultant team will synthesize what we’ve heard and learned and begin to form outlines of updated Master Plan ‘elements’ to present to the Steering Committee,” lays out Wilson. “In the first quarter of next year, there will be a third community survey based on findings to date, and another in-person Open House. We also expect to host a virtual Open House in early 2023. The updated plan elements will be vetted and refined in the spring, and we hope and expect the Planning Board will adopt the updated Master Plan next summer after final, formal public hearings before the Board.”

It is important to note that Master Plans come together differently in different towns. Some are created by the elected officials or municipal staff. Though Lesko, a municipal employee, is overseeing things and there are representatives from these groups on Princeton’s Planning Board and the Steering Committee, the process here is mainly lay led. The plan is also being guided by CCH, which has worked with many municipalities including Hamilton, Lawrence and created Master Plans for Wildwood, Moorestown, Asbury Park and others around NJ.

“The key to having a good Master Plan consultant is that they are able to balance the community’s voice with the technical requirements that staff advises on,” Lesko explains. “That balance is one of the reasons that Clarke Caton Hintz was chosen by the Master Plan subcommittee of the Planning Board as our consultant and CCH has demonstrated that in dozens of communities in NJ.”

The leadership hopes that by next summer Princeton will have compiled its updated Community Master Plan. The timing is tight, with a lot of variables and inputs being considered. Trying to figure out and find the balance of what Princeton is, what people want it to be and leading to that point is the goal of it all.

“Some think of it as a college town, which it is, but in a very different way than, say, a Big 10 town. For others, it is a bedroom community for commuters to New York, which it is, but not the way Westchester County or Greenwich, Connecticut, are. Some see it as a small city, which, again, it sort of is and sort of isn’t. Others, particularly some of the people who grew up here or who have been here longer than I have, idealize it as small town, one that was certainly experienced differently if you grew up in Witherspoon Jackson or Jugtown, as opposed to the Western Section. The challenge of this Master Plan is to forge consensus on a way forward out of these multiple and distinctive views of what Princeton is and should become,” Quinn points out.

It is the hope that by making sure as many voices as possible are involved will make the updated Master Plan more legitimate, easier to follow and a better guide for what the community wants going forward.

To stay on top of what is happening next, find out about open houses, surveys or provide comment at Planning Board meetings, you can always check out engage.princetonmasterplan.org, or register for updates at the bottom of the homepage. Of course, keep reading Princeton Perspectives to learn about any major actions that are taken in the future.