The possibility of acquiring the former Westminster Choir College campus for expansion has been dismissed by Princeton Public Schools officials.
Princeton Public Schools Board of Education president Dafna Kendal reaffirmed the school board’s 2017 decision not to pursue the purchase of the 23-acre campus, tamping down recent speculation that it is eyeing the tract for future expansion.
School district officials had looked into purchasing the property for school expansion several years ago, but dropped the idea and withdrew its offer, Kendal explained at the school board’s Sept. 11 meeting.
Rider University, which owns the land, acquired the Westminster Choir College and its campus through a merger in 1992. Rider decided in 2016 to sell the college for financial reasons. It found a buyer in a commercial Chinese government-owned entity, but the deal fell through in 2019.
Rider University then announced plans to consolidate and move the Westminster Choir College to its Lawrence Township campus. The relocation was accomplished and the campus has been empty for several years.
Kendal’s comments were made in response to the Princeton Council’s announcement earlier this month that it wants to acquire the property. Two ordinances have been introduced to start the legal process for the town to acquire it.
One ordinance authorizes the acquisition of the Westminster Choir College campus from Rider University, and the second ordinance earmarks money to pay for it.
A public hearing on the acquisition of the campus “by negotiation, purchase, condemnation or eminent domain” is set for the Princeton Council’s Sept. 23 meeting.
The public hearing on the $50 million bond ordinance to fund the purchase will be held at the Princeton Council’s Oct. 14 meeting. It earmarks $42 million for the purchase, and the rest of the money for related expenses.
Princeton municipal officials said that acquiring the property would make it available for uses that include providing educational and recreational facilities for the community and the school district.
However, there are several pending lawsuits filed by Westminster Choir College students and the Westminster Foundation – which is not affiliated with the choir college – to block the sale of the campus.
The students and the Westminster Foundation opposed moving the Westminster Choir College to Rider University’s Lawrence Township campus. They claimed that Rider would not be able to match the specialized facilities at the Princeton campus.
The lawsuits, which were filed in 2018 and 2019, are making their way through the judicial system. They are not expected to go to trial until late 2025.
At the Sept. 11 school board meeting, Kendal said residents had asked whether the town’s potential purchase of the property would solve the need for more classroom space.
“After review and discussion with our attorney and architects and with deference to the judicial system, we think it is likely that it will be at least a few years before the ownership of this property has been completely settled and utilization of the property can truly begin to be discussed,” she said.
There are various educational facility requirements that would need to be satisfied and approvals that would need to be obtained in order for the school district to acquire or use a building or property for educational purposes, she said.
“It all takes time,” Kendal said.
For that reason, the school board plans to forge ahead with a proposed school bond referendum in early 2025 to expand the capacity in the school district to meet rising enrollments, she said.
Without the referendum, the district would need to consider other options -including temporary trailers and redistricting – to solve its current needs, she said.
The price tag for the proposed bond referendum has not been finalized.
