By Marion Filler
The Red Bulls want to move their training facility from Hanover to Morris Township.
Fans and families with aspiring soccer stars love the idea. Nearby residents, not so much.
The 81 acres under consideration are what remains of the old 147-acre Honeywell tract, bound by Columbia Road and Park Avenue. Two existing townhouse communities, also part of the original Honeywell property, sit at the extreme east and west ends of the undeveloped land in the center.
This vacant tract is zoned for office and research space, so a revised zoning ordinance is required to add the alternative use of a sports facility.
At a virtual meeting last week, the Township Committee hoped to answer questions from wary residents about what a new ordinance would – and would not – entail. The discussion will continue this Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, and possibly in weeks to follow until a decision is reached.
Mayor Jeff Grayzel clarified the township position.
“I’m not trying to scare the public by saying this, but there are other things that can be built there, and for sure something is going to be built at some point in the future,” he said.
In addition to being a fully self-funded project (no special tax breaks are required), a training facility will have a lower impact on the property in many respects, said Grayzel.
Township planner Paul Phillips went into the details. The previous zoning ordinance took effect in 2012 when Honeywell was leaving. Its requirements related to replacing Honeywell with another corporate structure: Building heights and setbacks, maximum lot coverage, parking, etc.
If approved, the new ordinance would amend the old one to add a sports training facility, and it would impose more restrictive standards on the Red Bulls. Ultimately, the amendment would allow more than one way to develop the land.
“Not a combination of both, it would be one way or the other,” Phillips said.
He compared such things as maximum allowable coverage for an office at 900,000 square feet versus 275,000 square feet for a training facility. Among other things, the facility would extend the buffer zones between homeowners; increase setbacks at parking areas, outdoor fields, and ancillary buildings; and cap maximum height for the only indoor stadium that is allowed.
Food facilities are permissible, but no alcohol can be served in the training facility.
Phillips also said traffic for the Red Bulls will be substantially less than for commercial development. In fact, it will be less than what existed when Honeywell was operational, he said.
Offices and warehouses, as well as a large number of townhouses, condominiums, and low-income housing, all are possible depending upon who buys the property.
Phillips and Township Engineer Jim Slate wrote the new ordinance, not the Red Bulls, as one caller seemed to think.
Residents were concerned that if an amending ordinance is adopted, the Red Bulls facility will be a “done deal” and their input will be curtailed. Will they have a say about lighting, sound, and traffic flow within the entire 147 acres?
The Red Bulls will submit a site plan application that must comply with the safeguards spelled out in the amendment. This project will be subjected to exhaustive review and study just like any other, committee members said. Numerous hearings are anticipated, and all voices will be heard, they asserted.
“The Planning Board is looking out for the residents all the time,” said Grayzel, reiterating the comments of members. “We understand. The Planning Board are residents themselves.”
