Politics & Government
Honeywell Proposal Up for Talk Tonight
Planning Board considering master plan amendment that would let company redevelop its HQ.
The Morris Township Planning Board is scheduled to discuss a proposed amendment to the township master plan at its Monday, March 5, meeting.
The amendment would make it possible for Honeywell to redevelop its property on Columbia Turnpike and Park Avenue.
The planning board has conducted a number of public hearings on the proposals for zoning changes. Honeywell reduced its initial requests and has proposed a mixed use development for its international headquarters property.
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The company says a reduced need for manufacturing and research and development caused it to choose other uses for the site of the former Allied Chemical/Allied Signal research facility.
An original plan for stacked townhouses met with resistance because of its 50-foot height, but was removed from the plan. The current proposal calls for a mixed-use site, that, according to the company's own online description of the project, 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."
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Contamination also exists in groundwater on the site. Tricholoethylene and tetrachloroethylene were detected in onsite wells. The migration of this contaminated groundwater is controlled by pumping. Honeywell files quarterly Discharge Monitoring Reports with the state Department of Environmental Protection. Since the source of water for the proposed residences is offsite, the contaminated groundwater is not a factor, according to a master plan review report.
Off-site disposal of contaminated soils is also planned for the second quarter of 2012, the review report states.
This leaves a concern for increased traffic on Columbia Turnpike, Park Avenue and Kahn and Old Turnpike roads as the major issue brought before the board by the public. The intersections near the site are already rated as “failing” by the state Department of Transportation.
The planning board meets on Monday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the township municipal building.
