Morris Township governing body approves zoning for Red Bulls soccer complex

A zoning change for a Red Bulls soccer complex was aproved at this semi-virtual Morris Township committee meeting, Dec. 21, 2021. Screenshot by Marion Filler.
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By Marion Filler

 

The Red Bulls soccer team advanced one giant step closer to the finals Tuesday in Morris Township.

By a unanimous vote, the Township Committee amended the zoning for the former Honeywell tract to include a sports training facility. Previously, the site was limited to office and laboratory development.

Ordinance 27-21 now allows the Major League Soccer franchise to present its proposal to the Planning Board for site plan approval.

Committee members included outgoing Mayor Jeff Grayzel, incoming Mayor Mark Gyorfy, Peter Mancuso, Bud Ravitz and Cathy Wilson. Gyorfy and Wilson will serve on the Planning Board in 2022.

“I want to make it clear that we are simply discussing the underlying zoning at the site and not the particulars of the site,” said Grayzel said at the outset of the virtual meeting.

“The concept plan presented by the Red Bulls is simply that — a concept plan. Should this ordinance be approved, the Red Bulls will then prepare an extremely detailed site plan.”

The public can question every aspect of the proposal at Planning Board hearings in the new year, Grayzel said.

After thanking residents for their input, Grayzel enumerated their concerns and invited the Committee members to add their own. Much of the discussion concerned the optimal kind of development for the tract, and whether to keep the main entrance on Stockton Drive, as written in the previous ordinance in 2012.

At first, Wilson said, she thought residents’ proposed alternatives to Stockton Driver were plausible. But she reconsidered.

“Significant road improvements, at the cost of millions of dollars, have been made to support Stockton Drive as the main access,” Wilson said.

“In particular, there is a dedicated left turn lane into Stockton from the westbound lane on Columbia (Turnpike). There is no dedicated left turn lane to the service road. I think having a dedicated left turn lane is vital.”

Any changes would involve Morris County approvals that would be difficult to obtain, she added.

None of the Committee members preferred an office park, because of the traffic it would generate — as it generated when Honeywell was present.

“This lot is clearly not going to stay empty,” said Grayzel.

He observed that warehouses are being built on large lots close to highways, and also were a possibility for this tract. A sports facility is a very low impact use, Grayzel said, referring to traffic studies that have predicted several hundred cars per day for the Red Bulls as opposed to several thousand for commercial uses.

“I think most of us see the Red Bulls moving to Morris Township as a good thing overall,” said Ravitz. “It will bring commerce, ever more prestige for our residents and businesses, not to mention the added tax revenue that benefits all of us.”

Ravitz noted the team is fully funding the project, without asking for tax relief. “We need to let the process play out. It’s all in the details,” Ravitz said.

Mancuso agreed a sports facility is a good use of the property, and a better one may never come to pass.

“I’m very pleased about the feedback. It’s incredibly valuable to us to hear your suggestions, Gyorfy said to listeners on the Zoom session. “For this decision, we have to realize that this is not just impacting Morris Township for the next five or 10 years, but for the next 20 or 30. This is not a decision we should take lightly.”

Wilson said past applications have taught her the most important ingredient in land use issues is trust.  It can be fragile and easily disrupted, she said. With the Red Bulls, “we have an applicant who is eager to work with us.”  And, Wilson continued, “they even had a meeting with residents before this even went to the Board. Not every applicant does that.”

The vote was a culmination of several months of discussions and input from residents. A few called in after the Committee’s discussion. An attorney threatened to appeal the ordinance. Another caller took issue with Wilson’s position on Stockton Drive, and suggested she did not represent her constituency and could be replaced.

There were some positive calls as well, and the meeting ended with assurances that traffic flow through adjoining townhouses could be minimized by blocking off internal roadways with pylons and other means. Walkways would be protected, and new ones installed where necessary.

Details about lighting, noise, and the number of fields actually required by the Red Bulls- – an item separate from the zoning process, according to every member of the Committee — will be ironed out by the Planning Board.

MORE COVERAGE OF THE RED BULLS APPLICATION

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