By Margret Brady and Kevin Coughlin
A self-storage center proposed for Morris Street is a creative way to make the street safer and friendlier, is in keeping with nearby auto-related businesses and, with the addition of a subsidized art studio, is a reasonable use for the property, town planners told residents on Wednesday.
Some who packed the seniors center at Morristown town hall were skeptical, however, questioning why the town shouldn’t stick to the lot’s zoning–which does not allow storage facilities or buildings more than three stories tall. There also were questions about traffic, noise, aesthetics, environmental cleanup, and potential loitering on the open space portion of the site.
The crux of the matter seems to be: Is a big-box storage warehouse a useful addition to a neighborhood with many storage-limited apartments, or is it an intrusive non-residential use in a residential community?
And, realistically, is a better proposal likely to come along?
“This is a reasonable application,” said town Planner Phil Abramson, noting that the final decision will rest with Morristown’s elected officials after they process all the feedback.
Mayor Tim Dougherty said he will convene another public session. Its goal will be to familiarize residents with the planning process for this project, he said.
Hampshire Realty’s plans for the 100,000-square foot facility sparked controversy last year among residents who felt it was the wrong use for the site, a former towing service and oil distribution operation. The proposed five-story height was particularly controversial.
Revised plans now call for four stories instead of five. But the square footage remains the same, so the building’s actual coverage of the lot–its footprint– would be larger.
An artist studio remains part of the mix.
Slideshow photos by Bill Lescohier. For captions, hover over images.
“It was a good meeting,” said Councilman Robert Iannaccone, whose First Ward includes the site. “They gave a pretty thorough presentation, the community attendance was good, and the questions were good.”
Iannaccone declined to weigh in on the project, explaining that the matter is likely to come before the council, which doubles as the town’s redevelopment agency.
For the application to move forward, Abramson said, the council probably would have to amend a 2012 Morris Street redevelopment plan to allow storage facilities.
“It is a very challenging site,” the planner added, contending it qualifies as a “blighted” area suitable for redevelopment under state guidelines. Hampshire proposed the storage project, and the administration suggested the artist studio, he said.
The Mayor praised the interaction between the developer and residents, and said public input has been invaluable.
“I’m ecstatic about the turnout,” Dougherty said of Wednesday’s session, which lasted more than two hours. He has sought public feedback on major development projects throughout his tenure, he said.
Hampshire revised its plans after a well attended public presentation last summer. Changes include an expanded and reconfigured parking lot, which now would face new apartment units next door.
Residents questioned whether tenants would be awakened by people accessing their storage spaces late at night. A rental agent said the proximity of storage would make those apartments easier to rent.
Ten parking spaces would be added to the original 17 spaces, providing parking for the artists’ use. An open park-like area would abut a portion of the sidewalk with a meandering pathway accessible from the sidewalk. Translucent panels would highlight the storage areas.
MORE COVERAGE OF THE MORRIS STREET REDEVELOPMENT
Architect Robert Nocella said this project would use costlier construction materials than typical storage facilities. The artist studio would be at the front of the building, with large glass windows and a rooftop deck with its own exterior stair.
Tom Werder and Kadie Dempsey of Morris Arts said the 2,600-square foot studio would enable them to provide affordable spaces to area artists, and to offer outdoor and indoor programs to the public. Artists revitalize communities, they said. Audience members raised questions about how studio access would be monitored.
As for the storage facility, Don Engels of Hampshire said he anticipates a maximum of 10- to 15 people a day coming there. He said the office should generate little traffic; customers only must visit once to secure a rental. The office would be closed after 10 PM and on Sundays.
Some 900 storage units, ranging from 5-by-5 feet to 10-by-25 feet, are anticipated.
Once a space gets leased, the renter would receive a code enabling access to his or her space at any time. Security cameras would be installed. The back of the building, facing the NJ Transit rail line, would be suitable for murals or even paid ads as an income source for Morris Arts, Engels said.
An environmental cleanup is required; how much of a cleanup was a topic of debate on Wednesday. Hampshire’s representatives stressed that the longer and more expensive the cleanup, the greater the density required to make the project profitable.
Some residents were okay with a less-intensive cleanup; the project is not residential, after all, and any type of cleanup still would improve the site. Others felt the town should insist on a complete cleanup, to set a standard for other property owners.
Abramson said he’s researching the cleanup, a subject complicated by the fact that the contamination originates off-site, from leaky gasoline tanks.
“Any development on this site would conform with state and federal standards,” the planner said.
There also was a discussion of enforcement, and a perception that Morris Street businesses have not complied with zoning conditions imposed on their properties. Abramson said town inspectors usually follow up on such conditions–which can date back decades– when citizens file complaints.
The developers said the 900 storage units would be rented to local residents, a claim questioned by audience members who cited the proximity of highways enabling access from a much wider area.
MORE ABOUT THE MORRIS STREET REDEVELOPMENT
Are we too craven to have a space for a small park? A place with a few structures for children? benches for their (grand)parents? A place to stroll. Must EVERYTHING generate tax revenue?
Why are the current mayor and town planner pushing so hard for these storage units? This article paints a too rosy picture of the meeting…first of all, many folks could not even hear what was being said by the many suits that presented the revised plans; the suits talked way too long and there was not enough time left for everyone to speak….at the next meeting a proper PA system should be functioning so that everyone can hear…because it was so hard to hear what was being said, many folks gave up and went home…And, it was obvious that the majority of the residents were not in favor of storage units.
……..the current administration seems intent on having this project on the site, going against the expressed opinions of many, many residents; the developers are deaf too; they keep saying, OK, we’ll revise it some more. More time was spent explaining how wonderful, wonderful, the small space devoted to the arts would be, in comparison to how having 900 STORAGE UNITS on the site would function and its impact on the surrounding area. Someone at the meeting said that this was like “putting lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.” The arts proposal seems so obviously a bribe to get residents to swallowt the storage units…Who would be so craven as to be against a space for art?
…..the project violates the Master Plan, would require zoning revisions and is NOT a permitted use in the Morris St. redevelopment plan…Morris St. is a street that is growing stronger and stronger in having more residential properties.
…..Does the current mayor really think that a massive brick 4 story building with 900 storage units would continue a neighborhood transformation started by the construction of several dozen apartments from Morris to Ford Ave? Storage units do not continue a neighborhood transformation.
…..Storage units belong on highways, not on the streets of Morristown…There are many other less harmful, possible uses for this site including condos, townhouses, apartments, etc, then folks could walk to the train station or walk up town…the developers use the excuse that the site is so contaminated that cleaning it up would cost so much money, that only (here’s the threat) a giant tall apartment building would be financially possible….. The area around Morristown has many storage units very close to Morristown…a quick web search turned up at least ten.
…this is such a sad thing to happen in Morristown….I thought we elected a mayor who ran on a platform of supporting residential Morristown. Most towns don’t want storage units in their towns. Seems like the voices of money speak louder than the voices of the residents in Morristown.
A storage facility seems like a poor choice for this particular area. Between the proximity of NJ Transmit and a large hospital, I would think that land would be a prime location for apartments or condos. I don’t see the need to make zoning changes to allow for a storage facility. Keep the zoning restrictions as is and eventually a developer will build something appropriate there that will fit within the current zoning regulations.
Here’s another option for the area in question. This was published in the New York Times. The article is below and here is the link. There are pictures included in the link.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/us/repair-cafe.html?emc=edit_nn_20170119&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=60514536&te=1&_r=0
At Repair Cafes, ‘Beloved but Broken’ Possessions Find New Life
By CHRISTOPHER MELEJAN. 18, 2017
Cyd Charisse Villalba and Adam Factor at a Repair Cafe in New Paltz, N.Y., last year.
If you’ve ever despaired of getting your vacuum cleaner fixed or thought that your broken lamp was a lost cause, there’s hope. A worldwide movement is trying to reform our throwaway approach to possessions.
The movement’s foundation is the Repair Cafe, a local meeting place that brings together people with broken items and repair coaches, or volunteers, with the expertise to fix them.
The cafes have taken root in 11 states, including New York, where they are most prevalent in the Hudson Valley: Eight exist and more are on the way. John Wackman of Kingston, N.Y., who organized the cafe in New Paltz, N.Y., in 2013 and coordinates the others in the Hudson Valley, said the region was home to “people who are sustainability-minded” and have a “strong ethos of community.”
Organizers count as small victories any broken goods that can be repaired and kept out of the trash. In 2013, Americans generated about 254 million tons of garbage, including furniture, clothing and appliances, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The Repair Cafe concept has its roots in Amsterdam, where Martine Postma, a former journalist, came up with the idea after the birth of her second child prompted her to think more about ways to reduce the waste going into landfills. Repair Cafe started in 2009 and spread across the Netherlands. Today, it has more than 1,100 sites in almost 30 countries.
Helen Karsten with a stuffed animal in need of mending. Credit John Wackman
Clothes, books, dolls, stuffed animals, bicycles, appliances, chairs, jewelry, electronics — if they are broken, ripped or inoperable and you can carry it in, repair coaches will try to fix it. (But no gas engines, please.)
“One of the things that makes it challenging and interesting is that we don’t know what people are going to bring,” Ray Pfau, an organizer of a Repair Cafe in Bolton, Mass., said in an email.
Lamps top the list of items brought in to be repaired, followed by vacuum cleaners, Mr. Wackman said. The types of repairs offered vary by location and reflect the particular talent in a community, he said.
New Paltz has a repair person with a national reputation as a doll expert. It also has a “Listening Corner” with a psychiatric nurse “because being listened to is a ‘reparative act,’ ” he said.
The cafes invite people to bring their “beloved but broken” possessions to the gatherings, which are hosted in church basements, libraries, town halls and senior centers. The cafes make no guarantees that items will be fixed.
“All we can guarantee is that you will have an interesting time,” Mr. Wackman said.
The gatherings tend to draw professionals, retirees and hobbyists who volunteer as repair coaches.
Photo
The New Paltz United Methodist Church in New Paltz, N.Y., hosting a Repair Cafe.
“It’s a truism of human nature that people like to show off what they know,” Mr. Wackman said. “That said, there is a lot of gratification on both sides of the table.”
The gatherings generally last about four hours. No preregistration is required, and those with broken items frequently travel from afar to attend. While there is no charge for the repairs, donations are accepted. The Repair Cafe Foundation provides groups with information to help get started, including lists of tools, tips for raising money and marketing materials.
For Liz Pickett of New Paltz, the Repair Cafe is a chance to fight a consumer culture driven by buying new products instead of fixing old ones. “It opened my eyes to the fact that this stuff is built to fail,” she said.
Products today are manufactured in a way that make their parts inaccessible, so that if they break, it’s just easier to buy a new one, she said.
Ms. Pickett, a single mother of four — two boys, ages 17 and 14; and twin girls, 11 — said the cafe helped extend the life of headphones and a laptop for her children.
“I would not be able to replace every single thing they break,” she said. “Are you kidding me?”
Elizabeth Knight, a cafe organizer who lived in Hoboken, N.J., for more than 20 years, said she often found “great trash picking” there. When she moved to Warwick, about 60 miles northwest of New York City, she learned that the village hosted a spring cleanup during which residents discarded furnishings and other bulk items that did not get picked up with the ordinary trash.
“I was stunned at what I saw,” she said, referring to the kinds of discarded materials that could gain a second life if repaired. She said the Repair Cafe “is all part of the jigsaw puzzle of what do we do with our stuff.”
The gatherings engender a sense of camaraderie as volunteers learn the stories of the items they repair. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, a woman went to a cafe in Warwick as it was winding down, Ms. Knight recalled. She had a silver cylinder on a necklace with a broken clasp.
When Ms. Knight told her that repairs were finishing for the day, the woman began to cry. The cylinder held the ashes of her grandson, who died when he was 22. She had worn the necklace every day since.
Suzanne O’Brien, a cafe volunteer, sat back down and worked on the necklace. The woman smiled through her tears when Ms. Knight hooked the repaired chain around her neck.
“It’s not just about fixing things,” Ms. Knight said. “It’s about the community, also.”
Morristown can do better than what is being proposed for this area. What may be desirable is a “quiet zone” where people can gather without LOUD music. Maybe an indoor mini market area with “stalls” for vendors that sell healthy food, used books, local artist’s art, local made jewelry, a “rest area” for seniors and shoppers (a place to have a soft drink, chat, and maybe read a book), etc.
Be innovative! a good place to rest and relax is the eating area at the ShopRite supermarket on Hanover ave. Morristown can benefit with a similar area for the local population.
Where is this in relation to the two daycare centers on pine street? This would greatly interfere with traffic and safety. It’s too dangerous with no bodies onsite for security. Cameras won’t do anything. It would certainly attract more than just local residents. It would also attract graffiti and make the area look grungy. The homeless will hang around. This kind of facility will cause irreversible issues and again, way too close to daycare