A 225-room hotel proposed for Mt. Kemble Avenue is scheduled for a virtual once-over by Morris Township’s planning board on Monday.
The four-story structure would complement a refurbished office building–formerly an AT&T regional headquarters–near the Harding Township border at 340 Mt. Kemble, according to Morris Township’s redevelopment plan for the 40-acre property.
Mayor Jeff Grayzel said he’s looking forward to hearing from residents, and the municipal planner, at a special Township Committee meeting on Feb. 24, 2021.
“In general, it is good for a municipality’s finances to have a healthy balance between a residential tax base and a commercial tax base,” Grayzel told Morristown Green.
“Given the shifting forces in the commercial real estate market with so many working from home, I will be interested to hear from our town planner how this project might help or hurt the vast office complex” that includes adjoining parcels at 350 and 412 Mt. Kemble Ave., the mayor said.
Residents from nearby Frederick Place, Ironwood Road, Norwood Court and Aspen Way may have plenty to say. They are organizing to oppose the hotel.
“We look at a hotel as a lot of light pollution, truck pollution and more cars,” said Eric Rush, a resident of Frederick Place for 26 years. Of particular concern, Rush said, is a 200-seat restaurant included in the proposal.
Ken Gustavsen of Norwood Court said residents were led to believe the redevelopment consisted only of improvements to the office building. The hotel is a January surprise that some fear is a harbinger of corporate-driven sprawl; attempts to obtain details from the Township about the genesis of the hotel have been unavailing so far, he said.
“We need more transparency,” Gustavsen said.
“More transparency — and a more deliberate process — would seemingly go a long way toward easing some of the fears that the residents have about this proposal,” added Aspen Court homeowner Jeffrey Beyer, who contends the approvals timeline is rushed.
According to Township planning documents, the hotel and restaurant would be geared toward business travelers. Ballrooms are prohibited and banquet- and meeting rooms would be small, states a FAQ posted by the municipality.
Another project also will impact the area’s density: Harding has approved a 96-unit townhouse / apartment complex nearby, on a 15-acre tract accessible only via Route 202 in Morris Township, notes Morris Township’s redevelopment plan.
‘A CONTEMPORARY WORKPLACE’
The hotel would adjoin an office building that served as an AT&T regional headquarters until its lease expired in 2014.
After the property went through foreclosure, Onyx Equities LLC obtained it at auction. The portfolio of the Woodbridge-based real estate investment/management firm includes 1 Giralda Farms in Madison, properties at Sylvan Way and Campus Drive in Parsippany, the Gateway Center in Newark, and 210 West 31st St. in New York City.
Onyx already received Township approvals to create a 24,000-square foot addition to the office building at 340 Mt. Kemble. The company has recruited UPS as a tenant, and seeks to fill more than 200,000 square feet of space, at what it’s billing as “a contemporary workplace for today’s workforce…all within five minutes of amenity-rich downtown Morristown.”
Last May, upon the planning board’s recommendation, the Township Committee designated the property as “an area in need of redevelopment.”
Township planning consultant Paul Phillips followed up in January 2021 with a redevelopment plan, spelling out the hotel details. On Jan. 20, the Committee introduced an ordinance to accept that plan.
This Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, the planning board will review this redevelopment plan, via Zoom, to ensure it complies with the Township’s zoning master plan.
If it passes muster, the Committee may adopt the ordinance at a virtual special meeting on Feb. 24.
Next would be negotiation of a redevelopment agreement, nailing down what would be expected from the developer. After the Township Committee approves the agreement, the planning board would review the site plan, the last approval before construction.
Bud Ravitz, the newest member of the five-person Committee, pledged to “remain impartial and open-minded” as he awaits more information.
“Suffice to say that the decision of the Township Committee will be in the best interests of the community in the near and long term,” Ravitz said.
