MCEDC Head: Honeywell Plan Has Benefits

Rebecca Feldman, head of the Morris County Economic Development Corporation, told the Morris Township Planning Board her organization is ready to provide advice and expertise as the board consider's 's proposal to redevelop its corporate campus property.

Feldman—who is also a member of the Morristown Council, but who was not speaking to the planners representing that group—said the rezoning like that being proposed to accomodate Honeywell's plan could attract corporate investment in the community. Honeywell is seeking changes to the township's master plan and zoning for the redevelopment, which according to the company's own description of the project, it would take an underdeveloped property and make it a "mixed-use site that may include office facilities, residential units, and open green space. A learning center, childcare center, and cafeteria will remain on the site for Honeywell employees. A gym will be available for Honeywell employees and mixed-site campus residents and employees."

Feldman's full statement to the planning board is as follows:

I am here tonight speaking as the new Director of the Morris County Economic Development Corporation, which is a division of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. We want to commend the Morris Township public, planning board members and the Honeywell team for tackling the very difficult process of determining the future of this 147-acre cornerstone of southeastern Morris County. 

The re-purposing of former commercial office and industrial site around Morris County is one of the biggest challenges that communities across the County are facing.  Morris County has by far the highest office vacancy rate in the entire State—24.6 percent vacant, compared to 17 percent statewide.  Morris County has 23 million square feet of vacant office and industrial space. Our commercial realty members acknowledge that an economic rebound won’t repopulate buildings of obsolete design, nor remotely located sites.

In light of this reality, planning and zoning changes aren’t an “if” or a “when” but a “how and now.” Thanks to the proximity of Route 287, Route 24, corporate and commercial airports and midtown direct train service, change is happening as we speak. The Park Avenue corridor is now home to the Jets, BASF and soon, a new corporate headquarters of REALOGY. The adopted redevelopment plan for the east side of Park Avenue includes 830,000 square feet of Class A offices, 425 residences, and a 250 room hotel and sports-club.  Morris Township’s adjacent Honeywell site shares those same locational benefits and is likely to attract private investment if local zoning allows for the kind of mixed-use, transit-friendly development that major companies, and their workers, are looking for.

The economic development aspects of the proposals being considered include:

• Honeywell’s presence in Morris County. The members of the MCCC and the MCEDC know that Fortune 500 headquarters are the best magnet for drawing new corporations to the area – it is in the best interests of all the area’s employers for Morris Township to remain Honeywell’s home!

• Allowing a CCRC could generate new jobs with comparatively less traffic and would enable our aging residents to stay in Morris County near their families

• The high cost of housing deters prospective employers and results in long, traffic-causing commute times. Zoning for smaller, less costly housing close to workplaces attracts new jobs and reduces traffic congestion.

• Open space and recreation opportunities are amenities that attract employers and keep residential property values high.  Currently the entire Honeywell site is off-limits to the public; with re-zoning there is a chance to change that.

Time is money—for the taxpayers of Morris Township and for the owner of this property—and that money is best put into re-investment in the site and in the community.  Getting to yes can and should be done as quickly as possible—and we are here to help if asked.  The Morris County Economic Development Corporation is a resource of expertise and information that we are happy to offer to the township planning board as this process moves forward.