Morristown council gives thumbs-up to more Speedwell apartments and park ; builder aims for autumn start

By Kevin Coughlin

The Morristown council on Thursday gave its unanimous blessing to the Speedwell redevelopment’s second phase,  an apartment complex that the builder promised will improve upon the first and transform the neighborhood.

“We’re really proud of Phase One. We’ve gotten a great response from our tenants. And we feel Phase Two will be better, a better design, a more modern design,” said Rich Murphy of Mill Creek Residential.

“The more we redevelop that neighborhood, the stronger that neighborhood will be. It will reinforce that this neighborhood is the hot place to be,” Murphy said.

Phase Two plans, revised at least three times since 2007, call for a six-story, 185-unit apartment complex on the town’s former public works site, across Prospect Street from the 268-unit Modera 44 building that opened last December as Phase One.

Twenty-eight of the new units — 15 percent of the total–will be designated as affordable for low- and middle-income citizens. That’s more than the 12.5 percent required by a town ordinance. The extra units are meant to compensate for Modera 44, which only set aside 10 percent of its apartments as affordable.

Phase Two also will have a landscaped “linear park”  connecting Speedwell Avenue and Prospect Street, with three public spaces and artwork funded by developer Mill Creek Residential.

“It’s terrific,” Council President Rebecca Feldman said of Phase Two. “It combines walkability, open space and new residences, largely in place of a surface parking lot.”

View the Speedwell Redevelopment Plan

Councilman Stefan Armington represents the Third Ward, where the apartments will be constructed.

“I think it’s great,” he said of the plans. “The public park, the traffic improvements… It will add ratables to the town. Hopefully, it will encourage other properties to redevelop.”

A number of traffic improvements to the Speedwell Avenue intersections at Early and Spring streets are scheduled to coincide with the Phase Two build-out, according to town Planner Phil Abramson.

However, state Department of Transportation approvals can be slow, cautioned Armington.

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The amended plans were approved by a 6-0 vote, before an audience of three:  Murphy, his attorney, Andy Norin, and this reporter. Councilman Michael Elms was absent; Councilwoman Michelle Dupree Harris voted by phone.

Next, planners will hammer out an agreement spelling out exactly what the developer must provide. And then the planning board will scrutinize a site plan.

Murphy said he hopes to start construction this fall. Completion should take 18 to 20 months, he said.

As with Modera 44, this complex will cater to tenants who prefer renting to the hassles of home ownership, Murphy said.

Plans call for 263 parking spaces — including 60 public spaces — in a ground-level garage.  The building will range from four- to six stories, because of sloping topography.

The Morristown Ambulance Squad must relocate to accommodate the project.

Though stopping short of comparing the proposed linear park to the historic Morristown Green, Murphy predicted it will be embraced by the entire Speedwell Avenue community.

“It’s not just a green space, but also a hard space, a place to have lunch, and festivals, and fairs,” the developer said.

MORE ABOUT SPEEDWELL PHASE TWOMORE ABOUT THE SPEEDWELL REDEVELOPMENT