More neighborhood associations. Fewer banks. A combined Morristown and Morris Township.
The suggestions were flying at the Hyatt Morristown on Wednesday–and it was only the first night of “Morristown Moving Forward.”
That’s what Morristown is calling the process for revamping its 2008 zoning master plan. In this video, Mayor Tim Dougherty promises more public gatherings before town planners nail down the revisions in June.
Photos by Scott Schlosser and Kevin Coughlin. Please click icon below for captions.
The goal, according to planner Daniel Hernandez of Jonathan Rose Companies, is to forge a blueprint for development and open space preservation to satisfy the next generation. Ideally, he said, Morristown will evolve into a place where motorists, cyclists and pedestrians can co-exist peacefully.
If that happens, the town will set an example for the rest of the state, Daniel said.
“I don’t think there’s anywhere else where people are actually thinking as progressively [as the Mayor], and envisioning probably one of New Jersey’s best towns,” he said. “We don’t want to see an auto-centric town. We want to see people thriving and walking around Morristown.”
A website and Facebook page have been created to solicit ideas from residents and the business community.
The project is funded with a $100,000 grant from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and supported by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. The planning team includes Group Melvin Design, of Woodbury, NJ; and VHB, a planning firm based in Watertown, MA.
More than 150 people attended Wednesday’s kickoff session, said Paul Miller, coordinator of the town’s Office of Sustainability.
One of them, Morristown resident Don Kissil, said he was thrilled that someone had proposed a “jitney service” to the train station.
But Steve Neblett, assistant director of the Morristown Neighborhood House, remains skeptical about Morristown’s pending redevelopment of the Speedwell Avenue area.
“No matter where you go, the little guy gets squeezed out,” he said. “What about us little folks who can’t afford to move into these beautiful places?”
Kinda scary that they have outsourced planning to a private company. Wow…