Proposed 7-Eleven finds approvals not so convenient in Morristown

Revised renderings of 7-Eleven proposed for 47 Pine Street, March 2, 2021. Screenshot by Kevin Coughlin
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Convenience store visits last minutes. Convenience stores last decades.

That was Tuesday’s message from Morristown officials, who told developers of a 7-Eleven to come back with plans that don’t suggest a “highway box..that could have any ‘Wendy’s’ on it.”

Those were town Planner Phil Abramson’s  words describing the store proposed to replace an Exxon station at the corner of Morris and Pine streets.

When the developers logged into the virtual planning board meeting, they appeared confident about revisions addressing members’ concerns from last month’s hearing:

Gone was a second floor of offices. Kept was an appearance of two stories, to match neighboring structures.  Signage was halved. Parapets were widened.  Decorative panels, cornices, and trees were added.  Bike racks were sprinkled across the property.

When they logged out three hours later, 7-Eleven’s hired guns were left to ponder how to transform a place that slings Big Bite hot dogs washed down with Slurpees into an Architectural Digest cover.

“You really just have a box with windows,” said Mayor Tim Dougherty, insisting this “bookend” corner store should anticipate and inspire development of Morris Street between Pine and Elm streets.

“This should stand out and be recognized as something we can point to, when someone says, ‘How do you build a convenience store in a downtown?’” the mayor said.

Abramson said a century-old photo of a bustling 47 Pine St. made him ponder how history would view this board’s decisions.

“We’re all here in this moment in time in Morristown, and these buildings are our legacy,” the planner said. “It needs to reflect that level of quality. In a hundred years, I don’t want somebody being, like, ‘Oh, there was that 7-Eleven that they built in 2021.”

The project team said it will return on March 25, 2021, with more revisions.

“We’re happy with the design. We think it’s tasteful. I think it has a nice aesthetic. But if it’s not the direction the board prefers, we’re happy to discuss further with Phil and continue to tweak it,” said architect Oliver Young.

“We want to make the town happy,” added project attorney Jason Tuval. “We felt that we took steps in the right direction” after the last meeting, “but if there’s more work to be done…we’re happy to go back to work, and make it better if we have to.”

Board requests include changing color shading of the faux brickwork, adding functional awnings to the front of the proposed building, and moving the whole thing back by two feet to create a broader, more pedestrian-friendly sidewalk on Morris Street.

Members also heard testimony about traffic, parking, and electric vehicle charging stations. Abramson pressed for, and received, assurances that the store design could accommodate other uses and tenants if 7-Eleven leaves.

The project is a relocation of sorts. Across Morris Street, a 7-Eleven in the former Midtown Shopping Center strip mall must be leveled for the M Station office redevelopment.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. I dont understand removing the office space and then making it appear as if it was 2 stories? Why not have the benefit of the 2nd floor for the applicant? I wish they gave this much effort and feedback into the massive building down the street

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