To the Editor:

Where can Princeton residents go to see a building similar in scale to the largest of the five AvalonBay buildings submitted to the Planning Board for the old hospital site? Where can a similar style of construction and materials be seen? Nothing in town comes close. But if you drive on Canal Pointe Boulevard to Marketfair Mall, the adjacent Residence Inn will start to give you a sense of Avalon Bay’s aspirations for Princeton.

Park your car and walk along the motel’s 260 feet of uninterrupted length. Guess what — Avalon Princeton Building #1 will be longer at 280 feet. Then turn and walk along the motel’s 180 feet of uninterrupted width. Guess what — Avalon Princeton Building #1 will be wider at 260 feet. And then allow your imagination to double the size of the motel to create an impenetrable private courtyard and you’re getting closer. Finally, look up at the motel’s height — Avalon Princeton Building #1 will be even taller, almost triple the height of adjacent homes on Franklin Avenue.

AvalonBay Princeton’s proposal ignores the Zoning Code’s design standards that ban a private gated community and stipulate harmony with surrounding neighborhood buildings. A large motel-style building, which looms over its neighbors and creates massive impenetrable walls, does not abide by the code standards and is discordant with the Princeton community.

Dan Shea

Harris Road