Honeywell Redevelopment Inches Forward

moved one step closer to being able to revelop its Morris Township corporate campus Monday night—bringing new homes, a residential care facility and offices to the complex. But it's just one step—and there are plenty more n the road ahead—members of the township's planning board stressed.

For Honeywell's proposal to go through, the township would first need to change its master plan—the document that forms the basis for zoning in the township, guiding various sorts of development in various parts of town. The planning board decided to let its planning subcommittee draw up a draft revision of that master plan Monday, one that would make Honeywell's plan possible.

"There is a long way to go," planning board chairman Rick Haan said, calling Monday's move strictly procedural. "There will be public hearings in the future."

Once the planning board crafts an acceptable draft revision, it will sent to the township council for a final vote. And even if the master plan is changed, Honeywell will still need to make a formal application that would allow for public input and review.

Board attorney Brian Burns, a member of the subcommittee that will write the draft, said the group would work to return the draft revision to the planning board within 60 days.

Honeywell proposed last year to redevelop its headquarters with a mix of new office space, a hotel, townhomes and a continuing care residential community.
The plan was revised in August to reduce the number of townhome units, the size of the continuing care facility, reduce the amount of office space by 100,000 square feet and drop the hotel. The revised project is expected to generate $1.1. million in property taxes for the township.

Planning board memebers were concerned about new traffic estimates, the overall number of housing units and the financial impact on the township.

Burns told the board that all necessary reports would be available for the board to review at the time it takes up the draft master plan revision.

Hann said the August plan showed that Honeywell reduced the number of townhomes to 202, or four per acre, a number that fits existing township zoning; reduced the density of the continuing care facilty, and cut the proposed office space from 839,000 square feet to 758,000 square feet.

Burns said the exact makeup of the housing planned for the site will be based on market contitions.

Board member Leigh Doxsee said he would like the development to be clustered more in the center of the site, to reduce the impact on the adjacent residential neghborhoods, the and Columbia Turnpike.

The board also wanted to be assured that its own traffic expert's examination of the traffic impact would be available for review while they examined the draft master plan revision.

Burns said that was the plan.

Mayor Scott Rosenbush, who attended the meeting via a telephone link, said the traffic issue with the continuing care center would be how many actual residents live there, and how many employees were needed to provide 24-hour care. The center could require 60 to 100 employees, he said, but they would not all arrive or leave during the  morning and evening rush hours.

The impact of additional traffic during the rush hours is key concern for the board. The Honeywell site is in an area of intense development and high commuter traffic volume.

Hann said usually the planning board does not examine the financial impact of a development project as part of its deliberations. He said that falls to the township committee.

Rosenbush said the committee has already agreed to hire a financial adviser to examine the financial impact of the Honeywell plan.