Redevelopment

Revised content 11.1.18

Town of Morristown – Master Plan Re-Examination

There are eight designated redevelopment areas in Morristown, many of which are nearing completion or have been fully redeveloped. The status of each redevelopment area and a summary of ongoing efforts are provided below

Bishop Nazery Way (Center)/Coal – Undetermined Timeline

Planning for the Center/Coal Redevelopment Area began several decades ago with community-driven process led by the Concerned Citizens of the Second Ward (CCSW). A Redevelopment Plan for the area, adopted in 2006 called for 150 – 200 residential units to be developed in the oxbow of the Whippany River. In the decade prior to the 2006 redevelopment plan, the CCSW spearheaded the remediation of an abandoned junkyard and coal gasification plant in the redevelopment area, although limited subsurface contamination remains on sites within and around the oxbow. While the location of this seven-acre tract of land suggests that this redevelopment area is ripe for residential or mixed-use development, it is subject to severe flooding. During Hurricane Irene in 2011, floodwaters from the Whippany River inundated the entire redevelopment area. Since the historic flood events of 2011, FEMA has developed new flood hazard maps to replace the 1986 maps in place at the time of Hurricane Irene. FEMA has completed and released preliminary Flood Insurance Rate and Flood Hazard Maps, but has yet to formally adopt those maps. The Center/ Coal Redevelopment Plan, and attendant land uses, should be revisited once official FEMA maps have been adopted.

Epstein’s Rehabilitation Area – Complete

The Epstein’s rehabilitation area has been completely implemented. Development of 59 residential units with ground-floor retail on the last remaining property on DeHart Street, known as Parcel C, was approved in December 2015, began construction in 2016, and is expected to be completed in 2018.

Market & Bank – In Progress

At just over one half acre the Market and Bank Redevelopment Area is the smallest of Morristown’s redevelopment areas. Formerly Subarea C of the Epstein’s Rehabilitation Area, this area was designated ‘in need of redevelopment’ in 2014. A redevelopment plan for the three parcels at the intersection of Market Street and Bank Street was adopted in April 2015, and revised in in April 2016. A five-story office development was approved for Parcel A in April 2015 and completed in 2017. Redevelopment on the remaining Parcels B and C as a six-story apartment building with retail at the ground floor was approved in July 2017, and construction on the project is expected to begin in 2018. A public art process to select and commission appropriate works of art for the redevelopment in collaboration with Morris Arts is underway and is anticipated be complete by the end of 2018.

Morris Street – Undetermined Timeline

The Morris Street Redevelopment Plan was adopted in October 2012, and multifamily residential redevelopment projects on the two parcels included in the Morris Street Redevelopment Plan was completed in 2016. The remaining six parcels designated ‘in need of redevelopment’ together with the Morris Street Redevelopment Area, including the Old Lumberyard site and various other parcels on Morris Street, do not have an adopted plan to govern development.

Old Lumberyard – Undetermined Timeline

The former lumberyard site at the intersection of Elm Street and Morris Avenue was designated an ‘area in need of redevelopment’ in 2006 but no plan has since been prepared for the property The property was redesignated as an “area in need of redevelopment without condemnation” in 2016. As of the time of the writing of this reexamination, no development has progressed on the site. This site, and adjoining parcels that were formerly part of the lumberyard operation is an unprecedented opportunity to create a gateway for Morristown that is connected to the NJ Transit station and regional roadways and would bring new economic and social activity to the area around the Station. This site is a designated “area in need of redevelopment,” but no plan has been prepared. See Chapter 4 of the MMF Plan for detailed design guidelines to inform future planning efforts.

Speedwell – In Progress

The Speedwell Avenue Redevelopment Plan was adopted in 2007 and amended in 2011, 2012, and 2015. The first phase of the Plan, 44 Modera, was completed in 2014. A portion of Phase Four of the Redevelopment Area was redeveloped with a CVS Pharmacy that was completed in 2016. Phase Two of the Speedwell Redevelopment is currently under construction and will result in 175 new residential apartments, 60 public parking spaces, and a linear public park. Phase Three and remainder of Phase Four of the redevelopment area are still in planning stages, and will be addressed through amendments to the current Redevelopment Plan.

Spring Street – In Progress

The Spring Street Redevelopment Plan was adopted in 2008, but has only been implemented on a single property at 42 Spring Street, on which a multi-family residential development was approved in 2016 and is expected to begin construction in 2018. A concept plan for development on the remaining properties was included as part of an overall redevelopment scheme for the train station area in the Plans for Places section of the 2014 MMF Plan. The existing redevelopment plan will be amended through a process involving the general public as interested developers come forward and propose a design scheme and use program for the site.

Vail Mansion – Complete

This redevelopment plan, which involved the adaptive reuse of an historic structure into residential homeownership units and commercial space, has been fully implemented.

Washington Street – Undetermined Timeline 

Five properties along Washington Street were designated ‘in need of redevelopment’ in 2009, but no plans have been prepared to govern development on the on the properties. The 2014 MMF Plan included a set of development concepts and strategies to create a livelier mixed-use urban corridor along Washington Street. Redevelopment on the site has been on hold due to parking constraints, and challenges incorporating sufficient parking into development concepts. If parking issues on the site can be resolved, the Town should continue to pursue redevelopment on the site.

Train Station

Directly adjacent to the Morristown Train Station, these 2.3 acres of land across four parcels and a right-of-way to be vacated are integral to the Town’s broader redevelopment efforts. The Train Station Redevelopment Area was designated by the Town Council in December 2006, and March 2007. In 2012, the Town issued a Request for Qualifications to qualified developers, with which the Town would develop a conceptual plan for the redevelopment area and formalize design standards and regulations for development on the site. While a developer was not selected through the RFQ process, the redevelopment area is in planning stages as the Town is working toward a viable redevelopment concept with potential developers and NJ Transit.

• Highlands at Morristown Station – Complete
  
• Although not a formal redevelopment area, the Highlands at Morristown Station was constructed as part of a competitive process sponsored by the Town of Morristown and New Jersey Transit. As part of the planning process, the Town of Morristown adopted the Transit Village Core (TVC) zoning district along Morris Street that permits higher densities and mixed-uses around the train station. Opened in 2009, the Highlands contains 218 apartments, 8,000 square feet of retail space and a 722 space parking garage.

Potential Redevelopment Areas

The Town may consider rehabilitation designation(s) that would allow for creation of unique programs tailored to Morristown’s aspirations and challenges. For example, an as-of-right rehabilitation program for property owners, including single-family homeowners or retailers to improve their properties. In addition, a rehabilitation designation would allow for adoption of redevelopment plan(s) that would provide for fine-grained, project-based land use controls.

Significant Projects

Modera 55 (2018)

• Early Street – Residential and Amenities
  185 residential units, $2500-$3500

The Metropolitan Lofts (2018)

• DeHart Street – Mixed Use (Limited Retail)
  59 residential units, $2800-$5400; 1158 Retail, 1st Floor

Modera 44 (2015)

• Prospect Street – Residential and Amenities
  268 residential units, $2100-$3100

The Metropolitan (2010)

• Market Street – Mixed Use (Retail)
  130 residential units, $2600-$4200, 55,000 Retail

40 Park (2010)

• West Park Place (The Green) – Mixed Use (Retail)
  73 condominiums and penthouses. Sales Prices: $400,000 – $2,000,000
  Seven-story residential and commercial project at a cost of $150 million.

Vail Commons (2009)

• Speedwell Avenue – Mixed Use (Limited Retail)
  49 Residential Units 2500 sqft retail

The Highlands (2009)

• Lafayette Avenue – Mixed Use (Retail)
  217 Residential Units, 8,000 sqft. Retail. $2200 to $3800/ mo. The $75 million residential-retail development was built under New Jersey’s largest transit village program.

The Monroe (1998)

• Washington Street and Cattano Avenue – Mixed Use (Limited Retail)
  149-unit apartment complex at Washington Street and Cattano Avenue, $1800-$3600, sold for $52 million (2014)

Chancery Square (1997)

• 11 Cattano Avenue – Mixed Use (Office)
  Chancery Square consists of 129 units, of which 63 are one-bedroom and 66 are two-bedrooms. Rents range from $2300 for one bedroom to $3300 for two bedrooms. (2013 – sold for approximately $40 million)