Union Protests AvalonBay in Princeton

Less than a week after AvalonBay filed a court appeal over Princeton's rejection of its proposed development, members of the Service Employees International Union organized a protest over what they call the developer's "race to the courthouse" strategy in New Jersey. 

The union also released AvalonBay: A Bad Neighbor in the Garden State, a report the union claims is an overly aggressive strategy for development in our state. 

The report focuses on what it calls the developers "brash and confrontational style" in dealing with several New Jersey towns, including Princeton and Ocean Township. 

Union members organized a protest on Wednesday afternoon at the former site of the University Medical Center of Princeton on Witherspoon Street in Princeton. 

“It is not surprising that AvalonBay is bumping heads with residents and municipal officials in the Garden State,”  said Kevin Brown, New Jersey Director of 32BJ SEIU. “AvalonBay's model does not always have the residents’ best interest in mind.”

In response to SEIU's report, AvalonBay Executive Vice President William McLaughlin issued the following statement.

“Our development and community record speaks for itself, despite 32BJ’s attempt to distort it for its own purposes. In the overwhelming majority of our developments in New Jersey and around the country, we have been welcomed as a preferred partner, and our relationships with local communities and government officials have been mutually beneficial. In fact, based upon our track record, we are frequently entrusted by local officials with additional phases of development in the same communities.

Unfortunately, in the case of the Princeton Healthcare site, we have been compelled to ask the court for an objective determination as to whether or not our development application was in order.  We believe that it merited approval by the Planning Board and that the court will ultimately permit us to move forward.”