Short became long. Long became short.
That pretty much sums up Thursday’s virtual Morristown planning board meeting.
Attorney Larry Calli thought he would win quick approvals for a few improvements to the former Cy’s Brakes, vacant for a dozen years behind the Morristown Diner.
But Calli casually mentioned that someone wants to transform the building into a distillery. He spent much of the next hour insisting this was irrelevant: The building’s owner, 77 Morris LLC, needs to fix the dilapidated structure before renting or selling to anyone.
Board members weren’t buying.
“I’m not sure we should be hearing this,” said Mayor Tim Dougherty, asserting it would be imprudent to grant approvals without more details about what’s coming.
Further questioning revealed a distillery application from an unnamed party has been submitted for planning board consideration.
A distillery probably will need a use variance from the zoning board, the mayor said.
At this point, planning board Chairman Joe Stanley said he was uncomfortable proceeding.
Characterizing the 77 Morris application as a “prelude to another application,” planning board Attorney John Inglesino cautioned Calli against “forum shopping” –hunting for the path of least resistance– and advised him to combine the applications before the zoning board.
Zoning board cases tend to be long, expensive affairs.
Backing off, Calli asked to try again on Aug. 26, 2021, after taking his client’s pulse.
But the lawyer wasn’t done for the evening.
SHORT CEILINGS
Next up, Calli represented Scotto Holdings LLC, which aims to erect a three-story, 15-apartment building in a flood plain at 81-87 Martin Luther King Ave.
Things were going swimmingly. Project architect Karen Luongo described aesthetic changes suggested by the board, and planner Michael Tobia rattled off a litany of town requirements to which the project adheres. Approval seemed imminent.
And then, once more, short became long.
The town mandates 10 foot ceilings; Calli’s experts were talking eight-and-change.
“Have you ever been in an apartment with eight-foot ceilings?” Dougherty asked Luongo.
The architect claimed eight-foot ceilings are “relatively standard.” The mayor held firm.
Ten-foot ceilings are not about luxury. They’re for a better quality of life, Dougherty said.
He pressed Tobia. In his professional opinion, do higher ceilings create a more comfortable living space?
“That’s true,” the planner replied.
Calli relented. His client could do 10-foot ceilings for the ground level, and nine feet for the upper floors. But the building’s added height would require a variance.
Stanley expressed support for that, and Calli expressed hope for approval within a short period on Aug. 26.
MAKING SHORT WORK OF THE MAIN EVENT
By this time, the meeting was three hours long. So the board made short work of the evening’s main event, a proposed four-story, 39-apartment building next to the Vail Mansion on South Street.
Stanley granted project attorney Frank Vitolo’s request for an adjournment and a special virtual meeting on Aug. 10.
Absolute clown show. Someone obviously has not put the cash in the coffee cup if you’ve got the mayor calling ceiling heights a quality of life issue.
Now, if you wanted to say, build a bunch of office space as the country as a whole is trending towards more work from home, hey, we’ve got the approvals for you!
The building demonstrates past errors in judgement when who you were determined what you were permitted to do in Morristown, Are we still making some of those same mistakes?
Jeff-not to worry. Contents of building are safely preserved at the Smithsonian.
That C ‘s Brakes building should be preserved as a national historical landmark.
I’m trying to determine priorities of Town. A prospective tenant applied several months ago for a “required” variance in the central business district to open a Kumon tutoring center. Many, MANY $s later no approval. This is an asset to our community at a much needed time for a boost to local business and at a time where I have continued to pay $60,000 annually in property taxes with reduced rental income as a result of the pandemic. ????
That CY Brakes building just needs to be knocked down
You can put as much lipstick on a pig as you want but there is no sewer line for that bldg. Would need to be connected at Morris St-hope this would be done prior to re pavement of Morris St following the completion of M Station project.