Activist Group Presents List of Requests to Morris Township Planning Board

The activist group Citizens for Better Planning in Morris Township, led by township resident Michele Demarest, has presented a list of requests to the planning board in advance of its March 7 meeting. The meeting is the third in a series of informal informational sessions at which the Honeywell Corporation is presenting its plans for redevelopment of its headquarters campus. The list of requests reads as follows:

February 27, 2011
Chairman Hann
The Morris Township Planning Board
50 Woodland Avenue
Convent Station, NJ 07961

Dear Chairman Haan and Members of the Planning Board,

We would like to thank the Planning Board for being responsive to our request to make public, for all the township residents, the steps that the Township is taking when considering the proposed General Development Plan.  We, the Citizens for Better Planning in Morris Township (CBPMT), a non-partisan group of concerned citizens, wish to help contribute to the Morris Township Planning Board’s process regarding Honeywell International’s proposal to undertake a General Development Plan at 101 Columbia Turnpike.

We have five main areas to which we would like to contribute:

1. Clarification of Process by which the Planning Board Recommends a Proposal to Amend the  Master Plan.
2. Traffic impact analysis
3. Financial analysis
4. Environmental remediation
5. Neighborhood Impact

We have underlined our specific requests in the text with regard to these areas of concern.

1. Clarification of Process by which the Planning Board Recommends a Proposal to Amend the Master Plan

As we understand it, the Planning Board is under no obligation to commit to the proposed applicant’s request to change the existing zoning and/or amend the Master Plan to satisfy any single party interest. The current proposal requires an amendment to the Master Plan (which was reexamined in 2007).  CBPMT requests a clarification of the role of the Planning Board in recommending this proposal to the Town Council. 

The Master Plan and current zoning ordinances represent the collaborative agreement of constituents who put parameters in place to support well-considered, long-range town planning. The intent of such documents is to provide a roadmap for town planning.

We believe that there is a potential detriment posed by Honeywell’s proposal.  Any departure from the concepts and intent of the Master Plan would only be justified if the potential benefits to the Township substantially out-weigh the potential detriments. In light of this, CBPMT urges that the planning board engage in vigorous and independent fact finding to answer financial impact, traffic, tax, environmental, and other land use questions prior to making its final recommendations. 

CBPMT requests that the Board investigate how many OL40 zoned properties currently exist in the township and provide information regarding how a recommendation of support for this proposal could effect these properties.  Obtaining objective and well-supported answers to such questions are paramount in determining the potential true costs of permitting a dense development in the midst of existing residential neighborhoods. Currently, it is not clear what standards the Planning Board will use to determine whether there is or is not an “unreasonably adverse impact.”

CBPMT therefore requests that the Planning Board provide citizens with the specific criteria used to assess "impact".  We also wish to know what the specific steps are that the Planning Board will take to make its recommendation to the Town Council.

At a prior Planning Board meeting a citizen suggested that certain members (3 out of the 7 seated) should voluntarily recuse themselves from this process due to former ties to Honeywell International. In the context of clarifying the above process for the planning board to reach a recommendation, we ask that the Planning Board policy with respect to potential conflict of interest be addressed.

2. Traffic Impact Analysis: 

CBPMT requests that the Planning Board look closely at the impact of the proposed plan(s) on traffic patterns, average traffic density at the entrances to the site and particularly peak rush hour period loads at specific intersections at or near the site. It is the opinion of CBPMT that the likely increase (of 350% or more) in traffic will have a material negative impact on the capacity utilization of the roadway system. 

CBPMT respectfully requests that the Planning Board delve deeply into the factual basis for and assumptions underlying the testimony of the Honeywell’s traffic expert. Specifically, CBPMT requests that the Planning Board provide information to the public regarding the cumulative traffic effects that such a plan would have, taking into consideration current and planned developments in Florham Park which will impact Columbia Road, Route 24 and Park Avenue. It would also include developments planned in Madison which will potentially impact Park Avenue and Morris Avenue (old route 24) and Punchbowl Road.

CBPMT requests that the Planning Board ask Honeywell to provide specific examples of how a development of similar size and scope has been integrated in an area similar to ours and provide examples of  the impact to the traffic pattern. 

Financial Analysis 

The Planning Board recommends proposals that support a tax benefit to our community. CBPMT requests from Honeywell:

• The detailed financial assumptions that are the basis of the financial analysis.
• A cash flow analysis including expenses incurred by the Township under the two different build out scenarios over the next 8-16 years.

CBPMT requests that the Township Planning Board obtain an independent analysis with sensitivity testing to be performed with respect to the overall analysis.  Specifically, incorporate the demand for hotel rooms both near and long term, the range in the possible number of additional school age children, and the effect on property values in the surrounding areas. This information should be made public to demonstrate that the township can afford the investments required until build out is completed and a positive cash flow is realized.

4. Environmental Issues: 

It is undisputed that the Honeywell property located in Morris Township is an active site with confirmed contamination. Waste management activities at the site have resulted in the release of contaminates to soil, groundwater and sediment. The RCRA Corrective Action, Environmental Indicator, and Current Human Exposures Under Control dated September 28, 2000 for Honeywell International Inc. located at 101 Columbia Road in Morristown, New Jersey states that fourteen Solid Waste Management Units (SWMA's) were identified at the Main Site in the Administrative Consent Order entered into with NJDEP on November 3, 1989. In addition five areas of concern were identified in other facility documentation.

At the February 7, 2011 Planning Board Meeting Honeywell's Environmental Remediation Manager, Mr. John Morris, made statements with the above mentioned EPA report regarding the source and time frame of the contamination at SWMU 2A/2B, Rear Ponds. Mr. Morris mentioned that there is field sampling underway at the site but he made no mention as to how and if the sampling plan would include the portion of the Nichols Complex which was constructed over Solid Waste Management Unit 8/9, Open Pipe Discharge from CRL/DEV. Mr. Morris also failed to adequately address questions regarding off-site monitoring for contamination due to historical waste activities performed at the site.

Summary of Solid Management Waste Unit 7A, MRC Leach Field states that the types of materials discharged to the leach field are unknown although the wastewaters may have contained hazardous waste constituents. The very same Field Sampling Plan prepared for Honeywell, dated May 2010 and mentioned by Mr. Morris at the February 7, 2011 meeting states that:

             “In a June 2007 letter to Honeywell, NJDEP requested that the number of wells sampled be reduced for the 2008 and future annual monitoring events. Wells to be sampled now include PW-10, MW-17, MW-17D, and MW-18D. NJDEP also requested that only the following parameters be sampled for: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, and trichloroethene."

CBMPT respectfully requests that approval be conditional on the receipt of third party certification that the entire site has been carefully assessed, sampled and tested and that all areas of concern have been accounted for and remediated and that the appropriate institutional and/or environmental controls, monitoring activities and remediation systems are in place to protect human health and the environment.

5. Neighborhood Impact

CBPMT is concerned that, as proposed, the development would have substantial negative impacts on the livability of the area. Specifically, the values of residential housing in the several neighborhoods adjoining the Honeywell site and repercussions for desirability of the area within a 2-3 mile radius would be affected.  This proposal would permit a far higher density level than any surrounding residentially zoned areas. Chronic traffic congestion that may result from the planned development will have a negative impact on perceived desirability of the area and thus on relative housing valuations in the affected area.

  Another concern is the potential for diminution of residential housing values in the several neighborhoods that boarder the planned development. It is noted that the Planning Board agreed to a citizen request at the last Planning Board meeting to impose an aerial photograph of the development plan on a map of the surrounding area.  Such a diagram would allow citizens to better understand the near proximity of the development to their neighborhoods. CBPMT hopes to see this presented at the upcoming planning board meeting.

The petition sponsored by CBPMT has been signed by nearly 200 citizens.  CBPMT notes that this number of petitioners and the large turnout at the Planning Board meetings confirm that a large number of residents are concerned about the proposal.  We request that the Planning Board postpone reaching a decision regarding its recommendation until all information has been collected, made public, evaluated and entered into the public record.  It is our understanding that the Planning Board has the authority to hire its own independent experts to assess the financial, traffic, and environmental impacts of the proposal.  We look forward to discussing these requests with you further.

Sincerely,

Citizens for Better Planning in Morris Township
C4BPMT@gmail.com

Citizens for Better Planning in Morris Township, launched by township resident Michele Demarest, has, as its goal, "to address township planning issues related to a General Development Plan proposed by Honeywell International."  has proposed a major build-out on its 147-acre campus located on Columbia Road in Morris Township, to include some combination of additional office space, residential units, a continuing-care retirement community, a hotel, and parking decks or lots.