The Walsh family is re-racking its plans for a Morristown bowling alley, this time aiming for South Street.
Eight lanes, two bars, a restaurant and a retractable roof now are proposed for 37-39 South St. It’s the Walshes’ third try since November for this location, home to a podiatry office for decades.
A dozen years ago, the town council rejected the family’s pitch for bowling lanes with a retractable roof on DeHart Street. The Walshes later opened The Homestead bar on that site.
“After they turned down the first bowling alley, a lot of people said they wished they had rethought that. It’s a nice little use for the town. We decided to revisit it,” Robert C. Williams III, attorney for the Walshes, told Morristown Green on Tuesday.
“I think we’ll have a lot of residents and groups interested in having this opportunity.”
Such a “boutique” bowling alley could host children’s parties, a Morristown High School team, and cornhole play, Williams suggested.
The council’s fourth hearing on the Walshes’ application was scheduled for this Wednesday, July 17, 2024. It’s been postponed to allow more time for town officials and objectors to digest the proposed changes, filed last week.
Brothers Brian and Billy Walsh, doing business as Gracie Sunshine LLC, seek council approval to transfer a liquor license their family bought in 2011 to South Street. The council doubles as the town’s Alcoholic Beverage Commission. In various combinations, Walsh family members own five other Morristown bars.
Members of the Georgetowne townhouse association and their attorney, who lodged objections to the prior South Street proposals, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Upset by noise from The Homestead, neighbors had raised concerns about more noise. The Walshes’ initial South Street application called for a restaurant/bar dubbed The Backyard. Games, parties and events were envisioned for the rear of the property — which abuts The Homestead.
In February, Brian Walsh, a physician, presented revamped plans shifting the outdoor emphasis from the backyard to a large terrace up front, facing South Street.
The bowling proposal eliminates rear and side windows, in further hopes of allaying neighbors’ noise concerns, Williams said. To accommodate the bowling lanes, the building must be larger — reducing space for outdoor activities, he added.
Maximum occupancy inside nearly would double, from 280 people previously to 540 under the latest proposal, plans show. Plans also indicate a small terrace near the entrance.
One obstacle for the license transfer is the site’s proximity to a house of worship, the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, directly across the street.
If the transfer is approved, the Walshes intend to proceed with their purchase of 37-39 South St. from podiatrist Nathan Sabin, Williams said.
Other details of the bowling proposal, including parking, then would require approvals from the town zoning board.
A prior council shot down the Walshes’ DeHart Street bowling bar by a 3-2 vote in 2012. The majority stated concerns about an over-saturation of downtown bars, citing residents’ complaints about bad behavior by patrons spilling into their neighborhoods.
Hey @ Susan Puma
This is a lie as noted by the minimal police reports from the bars. And yes, every place with bars have some level of debauchery. Have you ever had a night out in good fun? But to say signs are ripped down and the streets are a complete mess every weekend, covered in glass, is just an outright exaggeration. You should recognize that these bars led the revival of this town to prosperity in the last decade, and without them, the town would be 1/10th of what it is today.
Following the bars came young adults with good jobs, higher housing demand (therefore prices), nicer and more restaurants, then companies offering good jobs, more money invested in buildings, etc., etc. The bars are the backbone of what make this town fun, and what it is. If we don’t continue to add more variety and offerings, we risk staleness, and thus removal of the town backbone.
I think you are severely misguided here.
Seems like a great idea and a fun addition to the town!
@Susan Puma – I’m pretty sure like many bowling alleys, it would be full of families and kids for much of the week…
The town should not have another bar The area now has enough bars The people come to town get drunk pull down and steel signs throw up next to we parked cars cars piss on the walls have fights scream, and yell in the streets. I’ve actually experienced a bunch of people barhopping because they do go in groups from one bar to another. I was walking my dog and one was insisting on picking up my little dog we had to yell at them and they kept on trying to pick up my dog we really want more to this town . Morristown is turning into New York City. Why aren’t they thinking outside the box and not doing a bar but something that would be fun for everybody and what about parking as it is parking is restrictive. It’s just gonna to cause chaos and more signs broken more streets with litter and hard to walk around town. Take a look in the morning 56 in the morning after the weekend. See what the streets look like it’s disgusting broken glass everything I’m sorry I’m not trying to be a negative person but I’m so tired of seeing all this debris all around this beautiful town just my opinion.
@ Ken Hoffman – I don’t think it made its way to planning due to the town unwilling to allow 8 stories there because of the couple residents complaints next door.
https://morristowngreen.com/2016/01/15/owner-says-eight-story-condos-at-old-lumberyard-would-transform-section-of-morristown/
I love this idea. Second adding a pool table or two!
@Warren –
Driving after smoking cannabis will get you pulled over too ( and you know that ) DUI is DUI regardless of the product used.
Bowling? So pedestrian. It transparent that this Walsh family sit around their Sunday table, twiddling their fingers on ideas of how to keep people in their bars longer; longer times in bars, means more high margin cocktails can be sold (and world domination, LOL). I’m surprised these high-flying Walsh brothers aren’t more in tune with the latest in methods to keep bar patrons occupied. How about miniature golf? Check out PopStroke for an idea to draft off of….combine the JerseyShore boardwalk feature with their penchant to sell cocktails. Such a concept will give these bennies a glimpse of summer and sell plenty of cold ones at the same time. Think of the cocktail sales to golfers who “bottleneck” (no pun intended) at hole #14 before they adjourn to the 19th hole. PopStroke attracted the attention of Tiger Woods Ventures so clearly well done, but an imitation would be indoor, with few windows to insulate noise and keep those world domination plans in tact!
High driving much safer.
Conner, When did the old Slagle lumber yard property go before the town planning board or board of adjustment for apartment or condo use? And who were the three objectors? The property has been sitting in limbo for years.
There hasn’t been a bowling alley in Morristown for a while.
Does anyone remember Morristown Lanes on Dumont Place (now a roller-skating facility)? That was a big place with several dozen lanes.
How about Herman’s on Speedwell Avenue (now the site of Speedwell Auto)? That place had only about 10 lanes.
I’m not sure when they closed, but I have fond memories of both.
Awesome idea. Can we get some pool tables in there as well?
I want anyone on the council to think about every project they wanted to reject in the town in the last few years, and then how many people attend that project if it was built every single day/weekend, and ask themselves – why would all these people come to this place if I had thought it was a bad idea for town?
Lets think – Revolution, Homestead, rooftop at Stirling…who were the people who said these were bad for the town, and what do they say now after they became the biggest hits?
Not to mention things that weren’t built because of these people. Lets think – stuck with an ugly dilapidated 55 south park place building since they didn’t want to approve two story addition for a nice boutique office. Better for town now? An empty lot of weeds for a decade + at the former lumber yard, because the 3 residents and their counselors next door didn’t want a $100 million dollar apartment complex built there. Better for town?
These people on the board, who think they are right, but have been completely wrong, need to be held accountable.
Doctor’s should know that alcohol is poisonous.
What about a nice cannabis dispensary in Morristown? And a consumption lounge.
No drunk driving.
540 people seems excessive. Great idea…lousy location. I am sure the Walshes would object to someone building a 540 person bar next to their million dollar house. Also, instead of throwing revamped ideas at the Board and wasting their time, why not secure the license transfer first? This all could be for naught if that is not a legal transfer.