Lawmakers Grapple Over Greystone

The fate of what remains of Greystone is something Parsippany wants a say in, and they are doing what they can to pressure state lawmakers into backing off.

State senators Joe Pennacchio and Anthony Bucco said there might be a way through introduced legislation last week to limit the sale of remaining parts of the Greystone property that is owned by the state. The legislation also calls for the land to be maintained as open space.

“We have already made great progress turning the Greystone property into open space for future and current generations to enjoy,” Pennacchio said.

The senators’ bill states that remaining Greystone property owned by the state and declared as surplus can only be sold to Morris County. Morris County is limited to using the property for the following purposes: recreation, conservation, historic preservation, farmland preservation and associated public services.

That did not sit well with the Parsippany governing body.

Tuesday night, the Parsippany Council passed unanimously 5-0 a resolution that goes against the senators’ bill.

“Our resolution rebukes the bill introduced by senators Bucco and Pennacchio by urging them to withdraw their bill,” Councilman Jonathan Nelson said. “Our resolution urges the state to also designate the (Kirbride) building as historic, which would protect it from being demolished.”

Recently, non-profits have approached the Parsippany-Troy Hills council pushing for the township to save Greystone, particularly the historic Kirkbride building.

The all-volunteer group Preserve Greystone said that the senators’ statement “makes no mention of the massive historic structures on the site, including the 1876 Kirkbride Building,” which the group is actively looking to preserve along with other nonprofits.

Pennachio told the Daily Record he has been studying Greystone for years and there have been no plans that don’t involve residential or commercial development. Pennachio went as far as to call the new proposals “frightening” and said the impact on surrounding towns like Morris Plains hasn’t been considered.

“We already have a lot of traffic and not just us, but Parsippany, Morristown, Morris Township,” Morris Plains Mayor Frank Druetzler said. “Morris Plains has and continues to support the Pennachio-Bucco bill. The county has been an excellent steward for the land.”

Greystone has been a hot bed of controversy since a decision to demolish the remaining buildings came with a $50 million price tag. The decision came after Gov. Chris Christie announced plans in late 2011 to remediate and convert Greystone Park in Parsippany—about 165 acres. The park includes a sewage treatment plant, wetlands and the original psychiatric hospital, which closed in 2008.

Up until this point, the state's plan was to demolish the rest of the buildings, despite having received six formal expressions of interest from private groups, which are looking to redevelop the decaying Kirkbride Building

Several nonprofit organizations also expressed interest in the site, and last month a few approached the Parsippany township council to plead their case. 

The Morris County Freeholders are expected to take up the case on Monday.