Planning board, March 6, 2017: Video playlist from Friends of Televised Access in Morris Township
By Cathy Wilson
What’s next for the 49-acre Colgate/Mennen site?
Probably, a mix of retail/commercial (about 40 percent) and townhouses (about 60 percent), consultant Paul Phillips told the Morris Township Planning Board on Monday.
He presented a “concept plan” for the industrial site, which has a corporate history stretching back more than six decades. Colgate-Palmolive announced plans in 2013 to lay off 350 workers and sell its $18.5 million East Hanover Avenue plant, where it has manufactured liquid hand soap, body wash, antiperspirant and deodorant.
Monday’s plan was created by Phillips in consultation with Township staff, the Township Committee and the unnamed developer with whom Colgate has entered into a contract for sale of the property.
The residential portion, at a maximum density of six units per acre, would include market-rate townhouses in the $600,000 range, as well as affordable rental and subsidized units.
Existing ball fields would be retained, but moved. Permitted uses for the retail/commercial portion include (among other things): Banks, pharmacies, restaurants, health and fitness facilities, gourmet food stores, and hotels. Gas stations with convenience store and “big box” retail establishments would not be permitted.
The Hanover Avenue corridor is a fast-growing area. It’s home to ShopRite, and another shopping center is under construction at the Hanover/Ridgedale Avenue intersection. Township engineer Jim Slate updated the Planning Board about this corridor at its February meeting.
Toggle through the video playlist above for Monday’s entire discussion.
More details should be worked out over the next two weeks, Phillips said. The Planning Board is scheduled to revisit the plan on Monday, March 20, 2017, at the Morris Township Municipal Center, 50 Woodland Ave.
Friends of Televised Access in Morris Township (FOTA) will provide video coverage, and also will continue covering the Planning Board’s Master Plan Review (of which the Colgate redevelopment is a part). See video below.
Interested viewers can watch complete coverage of these Planning Board meetings on FOTA’s You Tube Channel. Portions of these videos will also air (as time permits) following Township Committee meetings, which are broadcast on Optimum Channel 21 from 4:30 – 6:30 pm on Fridays.
Cathy Wilson is founder of the Friends of Televised Access of Morris Township, and chair of the Township Democratic Committee.
Master Plan review, Feb. 6, 2017, Video playlist by Friends of Televised Access of Morris Township
What about Mennen Arena? Will the skating rink stay? I have many, many memories of the rink and my daughter participated in many skating competitions there! As a matter of fact, my second date with her father was at Mennen! My ex also played hockey there!
Seems like both towns now want more tax rateables, more property taxes, higher population in the schools, more car traffic, and seek to resemble the busy parts of Bergen, Essex, Union and other Counties. Hanover Ave is starting to resemble parts of LA California. The parts that offer traffic and endless strip malls.If you grew up around this area you can recall a very differnt place. Today it’s all about higher story buildings, and density. Not sure how this thinking became so “normal. ” Foxes running the hen houses?
Thanks to Caffrey’s weird rant, Ms. Wilson’s project to document these meetings now has more press coverage. Nice job, Dan! I can certainly see why anyone that lives near there would have objections. I wasn’t aware of what location they were discussing – that’s already a totally crappy place to drive in the afternoon, what sense does it make to increase the traffic load even further?
Let me guess, Dan and friends on the council don’t live anywhere near there. 🙂
Why does it not shock me when I look up Dan on LinkedIn and find he’s a career salesman…
I never regretted moving back to Morristown after living in the Township and finding that although I could get along quite well without what the Township had to offer, I depended on the Town for most of my church, government and social services. As a taxpayer, I find the attitude of some Township residents who use those service,s subsidized by Morristown taxpayers on their behalf, laughable. Have you ever heard any comment from a Township politician, about considering their Morristown neighbors suffering from those high density projects on our borders..
Has a traffic. Study been considered? Since the opening of shop-rite and the newest construction at ridgedale & Hanover the traffic, particularly after 3:pm causes a bottleneck . This will add to it.
Margret,
The information is readily available, you just need to pay attention. And to your comment about the Township, please know that no one in the Township wants to close in on Morristown, life is far better on the perimeter.
Get over yourself….
If not for citizens like Cathy Wilson, not much would be known about thes projects until the shovels were already in the ground. Is Morristown monitoring all this development on our borders? I always called Morris Township a noose around the Town’s neck and it appears they are doing all they can to tighten it.
Exactly what we need, more business and less green space. Why do we insist on covering every bit of land with this???!!