Speedwell Redevelopment Phase I Work Begins

The temporary fence is up and workers are working in the bitter cold on the first part of the first phase of the Speedwell Redevelopment project.

Several houses on Early Street have been fenced off for a couple weeks as the area is cleared of brush, old oil tanks and any other debris. A worker on the site Wednesday said this would pave the way for the houses and Department of Public Works building behind them on Clinton Street to be demolished, sometime in the next couple weeks.

That is when the area is poised to see a bit of disturbance.

"They will be ripping up all the sidewalks and utilities," Business Administrator Michael Rogers said. "It will be a major undertaking once they start."

With Morristown High School nearby, a pedestrian safety plan is in the works, Rogers said. This includes a crossing guard in place at the corner of Atno Avenue and Early Street. "There will be extra steps taken to ensure pedestrian safety," he said.

The entire Speedwell Redevelopment Plan, consisting of four phases, is set to transform that section of town over the next several years.

Mill Creek Residential Trust announced in early January it had closed on its purchase of the land, which will become "Latitude," a single building with 268 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental units with a 357-space parking garage incorporated into the structure. The unit number also includes 26 deed-restricted apartments earmarked as "affordable housing."

Initial occupancy for Latitude is planned for 2014.