Township makes move to acquire WCC campus
By Jake Tiger and Jay Roberson
Princeton’s Municipal Council passed an ordinance on Sept. 23 that authorizes the township’s acquisition of the dormant, former home of Westminster Choir College, a property whose sale has been the subject of multiple ongoing lawsuits since 2017.
The township will look to acquire the 23-acre plot, located on 101 Walnut Lane, either by negotiating a private sale with Rider or declaring eminent domain if an agreement cannot be reached, Princeton council members said.
Council President Mia Sacks said, “I wanted my son to come tonight, because I wanted him to see us vote on something which I really believe is historic. … This is not something that we could live with ourselves if we walked away from the ability to make sure that Princeton residents are able to determine what’s best for this site.”
The ordinance was one of two proposed on Sept. 9 related to the land, the other seeking to appropriate $50 million for the purchase of the campus.
In a Sept. 16 interview with The Rider News, President Gregory Dell’Omo said it would be “a great outcome for the township and the community to have that property go to public usage.”
Members from the Westminster community, parents and teachers alike, attended the meeting to offer their take on the proposed move, with some locals saying the land should stay true to its roots and at least partially remain a place for music education.
The municipality is not impeded by the litigation surrounding the property in its pursuit of the land, Sacks said, as Rider’s sale of the campus was the target of two lawsuits from former Westminster faculty and the Princeton Theological Seminary.
The seminary’s 2018 lawsuit claimed the sale of the campus violated WCC’s longstanding land agreement that the land must be held as a religious charity advancing Christian music education.
During the public hearing portion, longtime Westminster Conservatory teacher and parent Amy Wolfe said, “[Westminster] has been in existence for 54 years. It’s educated children and adults that whole time, private lessons, private music lessons, classes, the orchestra … I’m really speaking from my heart.”
Though Princeton Township does not have their official plans laid out for the Westminster campus, Wolfe hopes that the council considers continuing Westminster’s legacy on campus.
Another Westminster teacher Linda Mindlin said, “We are not easily convinced that Rider has an interest if they have anything to say in any of this. The Westminster choir college was not just a music school. I mean, it was a gleaming asset for all of Princeton. When Rider announced that they wanted to sell the property, our governing body and school board glowed on the idea of acquiring that property.”
Members from the council also expressed their concern for the buildings’ deterioration due to lack of use, hoping to preserve the history and importance through public utilization.
Sacks said, “I know that my colleagues and I are very aware of those facilities [Westminster Princeton campus] and the importance they play for the people that have used them … we don’t want them to continue to deteriorate because we understand the value that they have for those of you who have been in and continue to use them.”
The hearing for the second ordinance will be on Oct. 14, the council said.
