An office/apartment building proposed for Morristown’s Historic District looks like it may get a smoother ride before the zoning board than a similar pitch got at the planning board.
Safeguard-Derby Development LLC of Gladstone on Wednesday presented plans for a three-floor “estate”-style structure to replace a vacant single-story medical office at 79 Maple Ave.
The board also heard more testimony about plans for a convenience store at the Delta gas station at Washington and Mills streets.
The store’s branding has not yet been determined, that applicant told a resident who inquired at the virtual meeting.
Both of these cases are due back on Aug. 18, 2021, for another Zoom hearing.
ONE AVENUE, TWO PROJECTS, TWO BOARDS
Plans for 79 Maple call for offices on the first two floors, a pair of apartments (three-bedroom and two-bedroom) upstairs, and 15 parking spaces in the rear, accessible via Perry Street.
It’s a permitted use in the MX-1 zone, according to the applicant. Zoning board members did not disagree.
Back in May, the town planning board rejected a proposed office/apartment building at 66 Maple Ave., after a lawyer for neighbors argued such a use does not belong in this zone — renowned for its splendid gardens, stately Victorian façades, and such architectural gems as St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Assumption Church and the Morristown & Township Library.
That board suggested Festivus Industries LLC of Mountain Lakes might have better luck before the zoning board.
Unlike the 66 Maple proposal, the 79 Maple project (so far) has no public opposition. It also enjoys limited support from the town’s Historic Preservation Commission, a staunch opponent of the Festivus project.
That one would have wrought “irreversible damage to the character of Maple Avenue,” the commission warned.
Safeguard-Derby incorporated cosmetic changes recommended by the commission into the design discussed on Wednesday.
With such tweaks, the historic preservation panel is “tentatively supportive of the proposal. We welcome the opportunity to work with the applicant to create an appropriate structure within the ‘heart’ of the Morristown Historic District,” commission Chairman Ken Miller wrote in a report to the zoning board.
But it’s not quite a slam dunk. Zoning board members indicated further tweaking is in order.
“I don’t think it fits into the architecture of the neighborhood,” said member Barbara McNally.
Fellow member James Bednarz said a colleague glanced at the plans and asked, “What hotel is that?”
“You probably could… make it look better,” Bednarz said. “It’s not boxy. But it’s close to it.”
Safeguard-Derby, which acquired the one-third-acre property for $885,000 last year, needs a variance to slightly exceed the maximum “floor-area ratio,” a density standard calculated by dividing building square footage by lot acreage.
It also seeks variances or waivers for buffer zones, parking setbacks and loading spaces.
Project attorney David Stern presented architect Frank Minervini and engineer Patrick Ward. Additional architectural-, traffic- and planning testimony is expected.
“I’m glad to see development happening in town, and investment in the town,” zoning board Chairman Steve Pylypchuk said afterward. He encouraged residents to participate in meetings and “speak up for or against” applications.
“It’s always a better project with more input,” he said.
Matt may be right but the devil is in the details if you pay attention to them.
That proposal looks 10000% better than the little crap building that’s vacant and there today
The town might want to repair the sidewalks along Maple Ave. before they negotiate new construction. They are an accident looking to happen. The town is forewarned they may have to deal with litigation should someone trip and and incur injuries. Note: Yesterday I walked Maple Ave. (in the road) because the sidewalk ws too dangerous to walk on.