This week’s special virtual meeting about a 225-room hotel proposed for Mt. Kemble Avenue has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at 7 pm.
The Morris Township committee had intended to hear public comments, and possibly approve the redevelopment plan for 340 Mt. Kemble, this Wednesday, Feb. 24.
But a public notice erroneously listed the wrong year for the meeting, requiring an updated notice, pushing back the hearing, according to Mayor Jeff Grayzel.
The initial notice said the meeting would be held in 2020.
Earlier this month, the planning board found the hotel proposal generally meets requirements of the municipal zoning master plan. The Township planner will make a presentation at next month’s public hearing, the Township announced Tuesday in a message to residents.
The Onyx Equities LLC site, former home to an AT&T headquarters, is one of three adjacent office parks comprising a 40-acre complex at 340, 350, and 412 Mount Kemble Ave.
“Existing parking spaces at the adjacent office building are proposed to be removed to accommodate the new hotel building, and there will be very little disturbance of lands that are not already impervious surfaces (i.e. asphalt),” the Township’s announcement said.
Some nearby residents have raised concerns about traffic, pollution and sprawl, as well as questioning the Township’s transparency about the matter. They say Township officials quietly held discussions for months, only revealing the hotel plans in January.
Jeff Beyer, a resident of Aspen Way, said neighbors had been told by the Township that two hearings would be held–one this week and another next month.
“If the March 9 meeting is going to be the only meeting then that, obviously, would be concerning,” Beyer said on Tuesday.
