Another Look at the Speedwell Plan Tonight

Did you miss last week? You have another chance (before Town Council is expected to vote on its approval on Sept. 15) tonight at 7:30 p.m. during the Planning Board meeting at Town Hall.

Before you head over, here are a couple things to keep in mind:

1. You Need to Know About Planning Board Approval: Before the plan goes back to Town Council for a vote on approval, it must first be reviewed and approved by the Planning Board. That does not necessarily mean it has to happen tonight. Which may not please a lot of people because ...
2. You Need to Know This Has Been Going for Some Time: Nearly a decade, in fact, full of changes and alterations. The plan once called for a realignment of Speedwell Avenue, and currently seeks to preserve several existing structures, including the building at the corner of Early Street and Speedwell Avenue, and a fomer used car dealership and the building once occupied by Blockbuster Video.
3. You Need to Know About Affordable Housing: Currently, the plan (most recently amended on Aug. 16) calls for 10 percent affordable housing. It very recently had only 5 percent affordable housing in it. Both are well away from the original 20 percent affordable housing component, but the developer has said that is no longer financially possible.
4. You Need to Know Not Everyone Has Been Sour on Redevelopment: Several business owners in the area, including Tom Rago of and owner Marty Epstein, have publicly stated redevelopment is good and needed in the area. However, Epstein had also previously stated Speedwell Avenue should not be gentrified. "We want to keep this neighborhood affordable," he said in October 2010. "They can't all be million-dollar upscale-plus neighborhoods." Carolle Huber, of Grow it Green Morristown, which maintains the Early Street Community Gardens, said at the same meeting that Speedwell Avenue is "a little bit gritty, but I think that's part of Speedwell Avenue."
5. You Need to Know About Sept. 15: If you cannot make this Planning Board meeting, remember that the expected vote for the plan's approval is currently scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15, at