Expert to Eye Traffic Around Honeywell

When representatives of Honeywell International return to the Morris Township Planning Board on Oct. 3 to continue talking about expanding their corporate campus, they'll hear a review of their traffic study by Gordon Meth of The RBA Group.

The planning board voted Monday night to retain Meth, who has served as a consultant to the township zoning board in the past, Township Engineer James Slate said. Meth is familiar with the area around the Columbia Turnpike property, Slate said.

Slate also said Honeywell will submit a new traffic report reflecting . The project as original envisioned, was to include a hotel, a continuing care facility, hundreds of stacked residential units and a retirement facility, among other buildings. Plans also call for three miles of pedestrian trails.

But Honeywell representatives have said the latest version of their expansion plan does away with the proposed hotel and stacked townhouses. In comparison to their original proposal, the new revision reduces the residential zone density, takes down the amount of children who'd be introduced to the school system, and lowers anticipated peak-hour traffic, they have said.

Honeywell representatives also say the project should generate $1.1 million in tax revenue for Morris Township, and provide hundreds of new local jobs.

On Slate’s recommendation, board member and Deputy Mayor Daniel Caffrey moved to retain Meth, and Lawrence Bobbin seconded. The board voted unanimously to bring him on board.

At the Oct. 3 meeting, the board is scheduled to decide if its technical coordinating committee should prepare a change to the township master plan for the Honeywell property. Although the agenda has not been set, board Chairman Rick Haan said the Honeywell matter will be taken up first.